Don’t miss this Mariner magazine story, which examines Sea Machines’ collaboration with the Maine Maritime Academy (MMA) to introduce autonomous vessel operations to the MMA classroom, fleet and labs. To accomplish this, MMA is anticipated to install a Sea Machines SM300 system aboard the 41-foot utility vessel, when one of its two engines is replaced this spring. The new engine and the boat’s operational equipment will be rigged with controls and sensors that allow it to be autonomously or remotely driven, with collision avoidance capabilities in place.

A shoreside control center (SCC) will soon be created on the MMA campus to serve as a control station for the autonomous vessel, and emissions and performance will be monitored by a setup in the school’s Medium Speed Engine Lab (MSEL) in Andrews Hall on MMA’s waterfront. For shoreside operators, Sea Machines will stream live data feeds from cameras, sensors and other equipment into the SCC for real-time situational awareness into vessel operations on the water.

“We call it smart vessel technology,” says MMA’s Capt. Jennifer Norwood. “Providing our students the opportunity to gain and learn from the technology is in line with MMA’s mission to provide the best marine-related education of any small college.”

Read more about this opportunity for future marine industry leaders here.

Mariner is the flagship magazine of Maine Maritime Academy. Its mission is to keep MMA graduates connected to the college and to one another, and to inform readers of the academy’s mission-critical initiatives, news, and opportunities for involvement.

Illustration: Red Slampyak