Digital watchkeepers add a layer of resilience to navigation

Mr Vlassopoulos said Ionic has installed SeaPods on all its tankers and is rolling these out on the bulk carriers it owns. “We are embracing technology advancements, including Orca AI digital watchkeepers to support seafarers and safer navigation.”

He said initial feedback from using SeaPods on tankers demonstrate its support capabilities as “an aid to navigation to enhance situational awareness”. This is particularly important when ships are navigating in low visibility or when sailing in busy shipping lanes where there is dense sea traffic.

SeaPods provide “information to see through fog and darkness” and help Ionic introduce safeguards to reduce navigational risks. It also helps overcome another challenge in bridge operations: how an abundance of data is overwhelming seafarers.

“A challenge is filtering information, so it is used wisely,” Mr Vlassopoulos said. Another is “maintaining seamanship in technology-heavy environments to ensure traditional maritime expertise remains at the helm.”

He agrees bridge teams should “not rely just on AI” but use this information to prevent safety issues and react quickly to potential risks.

“Around 90% of navigation incidents happen with a pilot on board” 

Installing SeaPods improves resilience, enabling crew to rapidly “bounce back with actions” after encountering issues during voyages and guarantees cargo delivery at estimated arrival times.

“Shipowners can turn resilience to commercial strength,” said Mr Vlassopoulos. “AI in navigation becomes a positive to demonstrate resilience and effective navigation to deliver reliability.”

He also thinks bridge teams can be “empowered and not pressured” by AI technology as these are digital tools to support their operations to overcome increasing maritime challenges.

“Seafarers face more complex navigational environments, dense traffic, tight schedules and more hazards,” Mr Vlassopoulos said. There is a “need for human-centred resilience and systematic safeguards. Digital tools must support seafarers, and not overwhelm them.”

Reducing risk in port approaches

Capt Gomez said Orca AI SeaPods are installed across Seaspan’s fleet of 225 commercial vessels including container ships and vehicle carriers. During the webinar, he provided cases where Orca AI information had improved navigation safety when approaching and departing from ports.

“Around 90% of navigation incidents happen with a pilot on board,” he said. This can occur due to pilots boarding late, or leaving early, which can put the ship at risk of grounding or a collision.

Seaspan has a safety team of captains that review Orca AI information from voyages including the arrival and departure of every Seaspan ship from pilot boarding to berth and departure to pilot drop off, said Capt Gomez.

“We started 13 months ago and have reviewed around 17,500 ship arrivals and departures. Passage plans are reviewed for Colregs compliance, interaction with pilots, approach speeds and lateral speeds, then we feedback to our ships if there are challenges,” he said.

“These interactions have enhanced how seafarers navigate, especially when a pilot is on board.”

Capt Gomez highlighted the need for time for master-pilot exchanges and reaction time to issues. Seaspan found some ports where pilots were late boarding and too quick to depart, increasing the risk of container ships striking port infrastructure or grounding.

"Thermal imaging cameras improve visibility even in high density traffic"

“We go back to ports and discuss this with pilots to reduce these risks. Then we find pilots will go to legal pilot boarding ground,” said Capt Gomez. “We support ship staff and empower them to make better decisions.”

Seaspan uses AI to help bridge teams and enhance situation awareness. “Thermal imaging cameras improve visibility even in high density traffic,” said Capt Gomez. “It shows at a glance the top targets in terms of hazard risk. These are coloured red if there are high risks of collision.

“Orca AI provides alerts, such as when approach speeds are higher than in our policy. Bridge teams find this aid to navigation is effective, helping them to make decisions for safe navigation.”

Orca AI also helps Seaspan reduce energy use on its ships as its alerts and information enable seafarers to “avoid actions in ample time, reducing the need for late avoidance, which lowers fuel consumption and helps the environment,” said Capt Gomez.

Webinar poll results

Attendees were asked to vote on a series of poll questions during the webinar. Here is a summary of the results.

What is the most critical gap in current insurance coverage for GPS spoofing incidents?

Ambiguous definition of malicious intent: 14%

Lack of standardised spoofing detection requirements: 37%

Insufficient evidence gathering protocols: 23%

Unclear regulatory compliance standards: 26%

In which geographic regions do you expect GPS/AIS manipulation to pose the greatest threat over the next 3 years?

South China Sea and Taiwan Strait: 19%

Arabian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz: 55%

Eastern Mediterranean: 9%

Baltic Sea approaches: 17%

Which technological advancement would most effectively reduce collision risk in congested ports?

Enhanced AIS with predictive analytics: 31%

Mandatory dynamic positioning systems: 16%

AI-assisted traffic co-ordination: 34%

Real-time weather/current integration: 19%

Who bears primary responsibility for managing GPS spoofing risks in commercial shipping?

Shipowners and technical managers: 63%

Insurance underwriters and P&I clubs: 2%

Flag state and port state authorities: 29%

Technology providers and classification societies: 6%

What should be the industry’s top priority for GPS/AIS security implementation?

Mandatory spoofing detection equipment: 37%

Enhanced crew training protocols: 14%

International regulatory frameworks: 20%

Technology standardisation initiatives: 29%

What is the most significant factor contributing to collision risk in high-traffic pilotage zones?

Inadequate master-pilot information exchange: 21%

Commercial pressure for quick turnarounds: 15%

System limitations in dense traffic: 19%

Insufficient bridge team training: 45%

(source: Riviera Maritime Media)

On the panel of Riviera’s When GPS lies and AIS goes dark: rethinking navigation resilience with AI webinar were (left to right): Orca AI chief technical officer and co-founder Dor Raviv, Seaspan director of marine standards Alfred Gomez, SeaTraders head of the health, safety, security, quality and the environment, Nestoras Grigoropoulos and Ionic managing director Spyros Vlassopoulos.