Maritime AI Topic
Autonomous Ships: News and Analysis
From assisted navigation to fully uncrewed vessels, autonomy is moving from trials into rules. We follow what is actually sailing, who is responsible when it goes wrong, and what it means for the people on board.
Latest stories on autonomous ships
From the AI at Sea weekly digest. This list updates with every new issue.
25 October 2026
South Korea Wants a Permanent Test Area for Self-Driving ShipsSouth Gyeongsang province in South Korea has asked the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to create a permanent test area for autonomous ships, in the…
13 September 2026
Nauticus Sells Autonomy You Can Bolt Onto the ROV You Already OwnMost subsea autonomy pitches start by asking you to replace your fleet. Nauticus Robotics has released ToolKITT, which starts from the opposite…
13 September 2026
Hanwha Ocean Buys Autonomous Welding, and Publishes the PriceSouth Korean artificial intelligence company MaumAI has secured a KRW 2.106bn contract, about $1.57m, from Hanwha Ocean to develop autonomous…
13 September 2026
South Korea Decides It Would Rather Write the Rules Than Follow ThemSouth Korea has launched a national taskforce aimed at ensuring its autonomous shipping technologies are reflected in the international rules now…
6 September 2026
CMA CGM Starts Drawing a Ship That Helps the Crew Instead of Replacing ItMost autonomy projects start with a question about the machine. This one starts with a question about the people. CMA CGM has begun a joint study…
29 August 2026
Anschütz Wires Vision Into the Bridge — Then Hands the Manoeuvre to the AutopilotAnschütz did two things in four days, and read together they describe the whole arc of bridge automation: on 24 August it announced the integration…
23 August 2026
Japan Marine United Puts Supervised Autonomy on a Working Limestone CarrierJapan Marine United's JAVC-C autonomous navigation system is scheduled to be fitted in December to the Kimitetsu Maru, a 163-metre self-unloading…
23 August 2026
Singapore Builds the Command Centre — and Opens a Line the Crew Can Use AnonymouslyThe Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore announced three things at once this week, and the smallest of them is the one this publication has been…
19 July 2026
Felixstowe Finishes What It Started — 100 Autonomous Trucks in Live Terminal TrafficThe Port of Felixstowe has ordered its third and final batch of autonomous Q-Trucks from Westwell, completing a 100-vehicle fully electric…
19 July 2026
The Rulebook Switches On — MASS Code in Force as Shipping Discovers the EU AI ActOn July 1 the IMO's International Code of Safety for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships — the first global framework covering remote-controlled and…
12 July 2026
As Shipping Goes Agentic, the Security Bill Arrives — 1 in 8 AI Breaches Now Come From AgentsA new report from AI-security firm HiddenLayer warns that autonomous "agentic" AI has become a leading enterprise attack surface — and shipping…
21 June 2026
Maritime Robotics Banks €28m for Unmanned Vessels — With a Dual-Use CaveatTrondheim-based Maritime Robotics has raised €28m (about $32.5m) to scale its unmanned-vessel technology, in a round led by Mustard Seed + Partners…
21 June 2026
NC AI and Hanwha Ocean Go After the Hardest Job in the Yard — Autonomous WeldingNC AI, the artificial-intelligence subsidiary of Korean gaming group NCSoft, has won a contract from Hanwha Ocean to develop an AI-powered…
17 May 2026
South Korea Launches a National AI Data Platform for Autonomous ShipsOn 7 May 2026, South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries jointly held the launch ceremony…
10 May 2026
IMO Opens the Door to Autonomous Ships — MASS Code Expected to Be Adopted This WeekThe International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) meets for its 111th session in London from 13–22 May, and the…
10 May 2026
West P&I Tells Ship Managers What MASS Declarations Actually Mean for Conventional FleetsIf you manage a conventional fleet and have noticed "degree of autonomy" starting to appear on declaration forms, West P&I has just published the…
3 May 2026
ABS and Fleet Robotics Partner on Autonomous Hull-Resident Robots for Continuous Cleaning and InspectionThe American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and Fleet Robotics signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Singapore Maritime Week 2026 to collaborate…
3 May 2026
Bubble Robotics Raises $5M Pre-Seed for Autonomous Underwater Robots Targeting Offshore and Maritime InfrastructureUK-based Bubble Robotics, founded in 2025 out of the Entrepreneurs First accelerator programme, has raised a US$5 million pre-seed round led by…
26 April 2026
Singapore Maritime Week 2026 Delivers Most Significant Maritime AI Policy Package of the YearSingapore Maritime Week 2026 (April 20–24) produced a coordinated package of maritime AI policy announcements that collectively represent the most…
26 April 2026
DNV Launches Phase 2 of Smart Shipping Centre of Excellence — Remote Operations and AI Decision-Making Go ScalableDNV has launched Phase 2 of its Centre of Excellence for Maritime Decarbonisation & Smart Shipping Asia Pacific (COE) in Singapore, marking a…
12 April 2026
ClassNK Certifies Genbu — The World's First Commercial Autonomous Coastal LinerJapan's classification society ClassNK has granted the AUTO-Nav2 notation to the Genbu, making it the world's first commercially built vessel to…
12 April 2026
Qavach.AI — Autonomous AI Platform Detects and Responds to Port Terminal Safety Incidents in Real TimeSingapore-based maritime consultancy Quantum BSO has launched Qavach.AI, an autonomous terminal safety intelligence platform that replaces the…
12 April 2026
Korean Register Upgrades KR-CON with AI and Plans Agentic RAG for Autonomous Compliance VerificationThe Korean Register has launched Version 24 of KR-CON, its digital database of international maritime conventions, with AI-powered search…
5 April 2026
DeepSea HyperPilot — Commercial Propulsion Autonomy Results Due as the Autonomy Age BeginsDeepSea Technologies, the Greek maritime AI company acquired by Japan's Nabtesco Corporation in 2023, is on the verge of publishing the first…
29 March 2026
IQUA Robotics Proves Autonomous Underwater Drones Can Inspect Ship Hulls Without Divers or Tethered RobotsSpanish robotics firm IQUA Robotics has successfully completed proof-of-concept trials demonstrating that autonomous underwater vehicles can conduct…
22 March 2026
Robosys Automation Launches VOYAGER AI Simulator at Oceanology International 2026Robosys Automation unveiled its VOYAGER AI Simulator at Oceanology International 2026 (ExCeL London, March 10-12), a maritime simulation environment…
15 March 2026
Lloyd's Register and Alan Turing Institute Collaborate on Open-Source MASS Safety FrameworkLloyd's Register, the Alan Turing Institute, and Lloyd's Register Foundation announced on March 12, 2026 a new research collaboration to develop an…
8 March 2026
Orca AI Launches 360-Degree Vision Platform — 1,000 Vessels Installed, Autonomy Foundations AdvanceLondon-based Orca AI launched the next generation of its AI-driven operational platform on March 4, 2026, introducing seamless 360-degree field of…
1 March 2026
project44 AI Freight Procurement Agent Replaces the Quarterly Bid Cycleproject44 launched its AI Freight Procurement Agent on February 26, 2026 — an autonomous sourcing system embedded inside its Intelligent…
22 February 2026
Seaspan Shipyards Invests $1.5M in Robotics to Automate Blast and Paint OperationsSeaspan Shipyards awarded a $1.5 million contract to Alberta-based Confined Space Robotics (CSR) on February 12, 2026 to develop and integrate…
15 February 2026
Apeiron Labs Closes $9.5M Series A to Deploy Autonomous Ocean Robots at ScaleCambridge-based Apeiron Labs announced the close of a $9.5 million Series A financing on February 4, 2026, co-led by S2G Investments, RA Capital…
8 February 2026
Seadronix, Stolt Tankers, and Radio Holland Complete Europe's First Port-to-Port AI TrialSouth Korea's Seadronix launched its Port-to-Port AI Platform in Europe on February 5, 2026, completing a successful trial with chemical tanker…
18 January 2026
Avikus Signs Industry's Largest Autonomous Navigation Contract with HMMHD Hyundai's Avikus division announced January 15, 2026 a landmark contract with HMM (formerly Hyundai Merchant Marine) to deploy autonomous…
18 January 2026
HD KSOE-MIT Consortium Publishes Breakthrough Autonomous Vessel ResearchHD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and MIT's Department of Mechanical Engineering published January 2026 comprehensive research results…
18 January 2026
Leonardo Proteus Autonomous Helicopter Completes Maiden FlightLeonardo's Proteus autonomous helicopter completed its maiden flight on January 16, 2026 from Predannack Airfield in Cornwall, UK — marking the…
4 January 2026
NYK Orders AI-Autonomous Car Carrier with Full Navigation SuiteNYK Line announced an order from Shinkai Toyohashi Shipbuilding for a 199.95m x 38m car carrier featuring complete AI autonomous navigation systems…
4 January 2026
ScrubMarine Raises £740k for Autonomous Hull-Cleaning RoboticsUK maritime robotics startup ScrubMarine closed a £740k (~$1M) pre-seed funding round in December 2025 to develop autonomous hull-cleaning robots…
28 December 2025
Japan Licenses First Autonomous Passenger Ferry for Commercial ServiceJapan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism granted the first government license for autonomous passenger ferry operations to…
28 December 2025
Candela P-12 Electric Hydrofoil Begins Norway Trial OperationsSwedish electric hydrofoil manufacturer Candela announced December 17, 2025 the commencement of trial operations for its P-12 Shuttle ferry in…
21 December 2025
Clippership Orders First Autonomous Wind-Powered Cargo Vessel for Late 2026 LaunchCalifornia-based Clippership announced December 17-18, 2025 completion of RINA-approved design and construction contract with Dutch shipyard KM…