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In April, the automatic docking tests began. Then Norled captains aboard the ferry system Folgefonn Wärtsilä could do the job. Smooth and smooth could move away from the dock and add gently.
"We have now taken new steps towards self-reliance," said Ingve Sørfonn, head of technology and development at Wärtsilä, Norway.
The system can now leave the dock, choose the optimal route and add it automatically.
The test of automatic systems and autonomy of navigation with passengers and cars is not allowed.
Folgefonn was therefore removed from a normal route, but was parallel to the reserve trip in the Jektevik-Nordhuglo-Hordanes triangular association to Hordaland.
– We have tested the system of representatives of the Norwegian Maritime Directorate. We let the system take command, but with a captain at headquarters who is in charge and intervene if necessary, says Sørfonn.
Not autonomous
And that can happen sometimes. The system is not autonomous, that is with sensors or collision avoidance systems that make their own decisions based on unexpected situations and events.
If a vessel came to starboard on a collision course, the captain would take command and change course.
– This is a room left for complete autonomy. We have to go step by step, says Sørfonn.
The automatic navigation system is mainly developed in the Wärtsilä DP environment in San Diego, United States. Wärtsilä in Norway is responsible for system integration and assembly and testing at Folgefonn.
Port to port
In a press release, the automatic navigation system is described as follows:
When the ferry is heading to the next destination, the operation is initiated by the captain by selecting "Sailing". Then he takes control of the autonomous control system. The ferry leaves Kaia, leaves the port, sails to the next port of call, goes to the port, then adds next to the terminal – all without human intervention.
– It is thought that this is the first fully automated operation attempt between docks and kais in "hands-free" mode, on a ship of this size, the message says.
Responsibility in the man
The captain aboard Ferga Folegefonn has had a simpler everyday life but still has responsibilities on board.
"We did not take the person out of the loop, but they get help, the captain must always follow and be able to intervene," Sørfonn said.
Wärtsilä indicates that the ship's navigation is protected by using a number of runways and waypoints that lead the ship to the next destination. The autonomous controller, based on the current dynamic positioning system, controls the heading, speed and position of the ship on predefined routes and waypoints. GNSS is used as a primary sensor, while Wärtsilä Guidance's Marine CyScan AS is tested as a secondary position sensor over the last 500 meters before arriving at the dock.
The system was tested for two days before Folgefonn resumed its normal route.
"We will now analyze and analyze all the data before planning a new test with new features," says Sørfonn.
First in the world for the fourth time
The 20-year-old Folgefonn ferry has become an important test platform for Wärtsilä and the Norled shipping company.
This is the fourth time that it is the first in the world with new technology.
In September of last year, the most powerful induction charging system in the world was launched. Already in 2014, the ferry had been converted to a hybrid battery operation.
Indeed, Wärtsilä and Eidesvik had tested battery-powered systems for a while, but not on a ferry.
The PSV Viking Lady has been a hybrid testing center with batteries and fuel cells since 2013. In April 2018, Wärtsilä and Norled showed that Folgefonn could add a dock while the captain was observing his hands free.
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