Italian ro-ro operator Grimaldi Group has started the second phase of its GSAB (Grimaldi Satellite Berthing) project, which aims to develop and validate an assisted guidance system with satellite technology for docking manoeuvres of large PCTC (pure car and truck carrier) vessels.
This is the evolution of the previous GSAB project, which had been assigned to the Grimaldi Group by the European Space Agency (ESA) within its Navigation Innovation and Support Program (Navisp) in 2022. This previous project proved successful, and the new GSAB2 project will verify the suitability of the system to achieve Autonomy Level 2 as defined by Lloyd’s Register: this condition is met when all actions at ship level are taken by a human operator on board the vessel, but decision support tools can present options or otherwise influence the actions chosen. In addition, GSAB2 will study the prerequisites for reaching Autonomy Level 3, where decisions and actions at ship level are performed autonomously with human supervision.
The Grimaldi Group company Grimaldi Deep Sea will coordinate an international team with Norwegian technology company Kongsberg and RINA Services, the RINA Group company in charge of testing, inspection, classification and certification activities, that will make its expertise available to the project together with RINA Germany. Additionally, the Grimaldi Group will collaborate with Italy’s Radiolabs Consortium which will take care of the design, execution and validation of the system in real-world operating conditions.
GSAB2 will adopt the latest innovations on satellite-based multi-sensor technologies, studied and developed as part of GSAB, and will contribute to improve the efficiency of manoeuvres in port while further increasing their safety while reducing CO2 emissions, in line with the Grimaldi Group’s strategy towards a greener and safer maritime transport. In addition, GSAB2 will also develop advanced algorithms based on Artificial Intelligence as well as an interface for the functions of the Ship Automation system.
Based on the results from the first phase of GSAB, Grimaldi Deep Sea intends to develop and test an advisory system to achieve safe and efficient berthing operations of large vessels, mainly focussing on:
- vessel positioning navigation and timing for autonomous sailing and operation;
- berth planning for manoeuvring and sailing into and out of ports;
- advisory system for optimal sailing in confined port areas;
- Situational Awareness System; user interaction.
In addition, the GSAB2 team will study the prerequisites for reaching Autonomy Level 3 by establishing an exhaustive set of requirements and verification criteria. This phase will involve a joint Hazid (Hazard Identification) study of an autonomous berthing operation, the development of Key Enabling Technologies, the analysis and definition of the user interaction philosophy and visualization, the identification of prerequisites for equipment and of requirements for interfaces for an autonomous control system.
Image: Grimaldi’s GSAB2 project aims to make docking safer and more environment-friendly (credit: Grimaldi Lines)
