Well known for producing innovative and cost-effective vessels, Damen engages in modular shipbuilding based on standardized designs. The company’s in-stock hull program has been successful to date because it ensures a short and efficient, delivery of proven technology. Now with Sea Machines technology on board, Damen’s customers can take advantage of new operational methodologies that deliver additional efficiencies, increases in productivity and predictability, and opportunities to increase at-sea safety throughout the life of the vessel.

In addition to installing the autonomous-command and wireless-helm systems, Damen will train users to operate Sea Machines systems via the company’s in-house simulator. Fully integrated with Sea Machines’ technology, the simulator will generate a realistic marine domain in which employees and the company’s clients can learn to use Sea Machines’ intuitive user interface and become familiar with modern autonomous-command capabilities.

These capabilities include autonomous transit behaviours as well as collaborative autonomy for unmanned daughter craft operations, and pre-configured pattern autonomy for task-based workboat missions. Sea Machines autonomy incorporates obstacle detection and collision avoidance based on COLREGs for dynamic-domain operations, as well as highly valuable remote-command, remote-machinery and payload control, which allows shore-based command of vessels and on-board equipment.  Customers can leverage reduced-crew or unmanned vessel operations which can greatly increase the productivity of persistent workboat operations or remove personnel from hazardous marine work environments. Across all industries, autonomous systems automate manual, repetitive, and tedious tasks, allowing humans to focus on higher-level operations with reduced risk.

“This alliance will play an important role towards the realisation of Damen’s strategy, which is built on the continual development of digitalisation, sustainability and operational excellence of Damen products and services,” said Damen’s Toine Cleophas, manager programs. “The collaboration forms a part of Damen’s R&D programme Smart Ship and will increase customer value by supporting a more digitalised Damen portfolio.”

“This significant development sends a clear signal to the industry that autonomous marine technology is rapidly gaining adoption and is in-demand among commercial operators,” said Sea Machines’ CEO Michael G. Johnson. “We see a future, where most, if not all, newly constructed vessels will feature autonomous technology as standard. This partnership will accelerate Sea Machines’ position as the ‘go-to’ provider of advanced marine technology and is securing Damen as an innovative industry leader for years to come.”

Since 1969 Damen Shipyards has delivered more than 6,500 vessels, averaging around 175 vessels a year. The company keeps more than 150 hulls in stock. Damen plans to initially offer Sea Machines systems on workboats, patrol vessels, tugboats, crew transfer vessels, and ferries.

Sea Machines’ SM Series of products, which includes both the SM200 and SM300, provides marine operators a new era of remote, task-driven, computer-guided vessel control, bringing advanced autonomy within reach for small- and large-scale operations. SM products are ideally suited for existing or new-build commercial vessels.

About Sea Machines
Headquartered in the global tech hub of Boston and operating globally, Sea Machines is the leader in pioneering autonomous command and control and advanced perception systems for the marine industries. Founded in 2015, the company builds autonomous vessel software and systems, which increases the safety, efficiency and performance of ships, workboats and commercial passenger vessels. Learn more about Sea Machines at www.sea-machines.com.

About Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group has been in operation for over ninety years and offers maritime solutions worldwide, through design, shipbuilding, ship repair and related services. Damen operates 36 shipyards in 18 countries and offers direct employment to more than 13,000 people.

Damen’s values are fellowship, craftsmanship, entrepreneurship and stewardship. The company aims to be the most sustainable shipbuilder in the world, via digitalisation and standardisation of its products. Damen’s main activities are the design and serial construction of innovative ships by integrating diverse components and subsystems into high-quality platforms. These activities are supported by a worldwide sales and service network.

Damen is also active in the repair and conversion of existing ships and the sale and production of components for the maritime industry.

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Boston-based vessel autonomy startup Sea Machines is making waves with its advanced remote-control and autonomous operation technology. It recently completed a successful Series B venture capital fundraising round with participation from some of the biggest names in the sector, including top naval shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries. Founder and CEO Michael G. Johnson recently discussed how his company is modernizing the commercial marine industry.

Q: Sea Machines announced that it has raised $15 million in funding. Explain the significance of this and what it means for the company and greater maritime community?

The funds we were able to raise in this latest round are going to significantly impact Sea Machines, and therefore the maritime and marine industries as a whole. The funds will be put to use to further strengthen our technical development team as well as build out our next level of systems manufacturing and scale our operations group to support customer deployments.  We will also be investing in some supporting technologies to speed our course to full dock-to-dock, over-the-horizon autonomy. The purpose of our technology is to optimize vessel operations with increased performance, productivity, predictability and ultimately safety.

Q: Was fundraising much more challenging this time around, considering our pandemic-induced recession? 

On the whole, no. Raising capital is not meant to be easy but it’s safe to say that this round was simpler than previous raises. Because of where we are as a company, we have been proving our ability to retool the marine industry with our technology, and therefore we are delivering confidence to investors. We were forced to conduct the entire process by video conference, which may have increased overall efficiency of the raise as these rounds traditionally require thousands if not tens of thousands of miles of travel for face-to-face meetings, diligence, and handshakes.

Remote pitches also proved to be an advantage because it allowed us to showcase our technology in a more direct way. We did online demos where we had our team remotely connected to our vessels off Boston Harbor. We were really able to get the investors into a captain’s chair, as if they were remotely commanding a vessel in real-world operations. That worked out well.

Sea Machines’ remote command station in Boston

Q: Tell us a little about your partnership with Huntington Ingalls (HII), America’s largest shipbuilder. 

We are especially excited to be partnering with Huntington Ingalls in this round. What’s not to love about partnering with the builder of the SS United States, USS Enterprise and so many other amazing ships? HII is a solid and diversified company and as you know the leading capital ship supplier to the U.S. Navy. HII is a top choice partner for a growing marine autonomy company. They are more than a shipbuilder, also now leading in underwater autonomous systems, and they have a technical solutions group comprised of more than 6,000 personnel. The partnership gives us a supporting company to help us better serve U.S. government customers, a first-hand understanding of the technical needs of the U.S. Navy, and access to HII’s strengths in technical areas that are necessary to support autonomous operations, such as cybersecurity and modern HM&E. HII also lives and represents a social conscience that matches with modern society and our commitment to social responsibility.

Q: Sea Machines seems to have developed a strong foothold in the government industry with this announcement. Is that where you see your niche?

The government is an important and critical part of our growth strategy, but it’s just one piece. We also have a heavy emphasis on the task-driven workboat sector – marine survey, spill, fire, search-and-rescue, aquaculture and other boats – as well as the transit-driven maritime and passenger vessel sectors. Our autonomy can be used onboard as an advanced pilot assist system with a crew or provide remote command of a vessel.

Q: Which sectors seem to be the early adopters of marine autonomy?

It’s coming at us quickly.  The defense and task-driven workboat sectors are the first adopters, commercial passenger and shipping are now in the early stage of innovation trials.

The areas of value provided by autonomous technology overlaps for all sectors, however, for the navy, new on-water capabilities and unmanned vessels are a leading driver, whereas commercial is looking for increased productivity, efficiency and predictable operations. Our systems meet all of these needs. Our technology is designed to be installed on new vessels as well as existing vessels. Our ability to upgrade existing fleets greatly reduces the time and cost to leverage the value of our autonomous systems.  It definitely speeds up the adoption of the technology.

Sea Machines’ autonomous workboat, Lightning, a 29-foot vessel now being offered through Metal Shark’s “Sharktech” autonomous division

Q: Can you provide us with the latest on your technology development?

This month we are releasing software version 1.6 on our SM300. That’s six significant updates in 18 months, each one providing increased technical hardening and new base features and applicative features for specific workboat sectors. In January, we announced the receipt of ABS and USCG approval for our SM200 wireless helm and control systems on a major class of U.S.-flag articulated tug-barges (ATBs), the first unit has been installed and is in operation and we look forward to announcing details around it.  We will be taking the SM200 forward into the type-approval process.

Sea Machines has also begun serving the survey vessel market with the first announced collaboration with DEEP BV in the Netherlands; the vessel outfitted with the SM300 will be entering survey service within the month. In the second half of 2020 we are also commencing onboard collaborations with some crew-transfer vessel (CTV) operators serving the wind farm industry.

Q: In closing, what does the future look like for Sea Machines and our industry, with your systems on the market?

Being in our fifth year we have a good sense of what the industry needs and where it’s going. Sea Machines systems are already at work off the waters of four continents. Today we install systems on one or two vessels at a time and within a couple years it will be entire customer fleets at a swoop. To meet this demand, we are expanding our teams in Boston and Hamburg. We also recently opened an office in the Esberg, Denmark, to better serve the many forward-looking customers of that region.

The marine industries are a critically significant component of the global economy and it’s up to us within to keep it strong and relevant. Along with people, processes and capital, pressing the bounds of technology is a key driver. The world is being revolutionized by intelligent and autonomous self-piloting technology and today we find ourselves just beyond the starting line of a busy road to broad adoption through all marine sectors. If Sea Machines continues to chart the course with forward-looking pertinence then you will see us rise up to become one of the most significant companies and brands serving the industry in the 21st century.

Top photo: Sea Machines’ A.I.-powered advanced perception system gives commercial vessel operators enhanced situational awareness via obstacle detection, collision avoidance and environment-understanding capabilities for increased safety, predictability and productivity on the water. 

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Modern autonomous design

The novel design is smaller and lighter than most current guard vessels used to protect offshore operations and boasts sustainable solutions as well as exploiting the benefits of autonomous shipping. In addition, the AGV is set to operate more efficiently as well as require lower operating costs due to no crew being required.

This clean and lean concept to replace conventional guard vessels came to life in a project group facilitated by LISA, a community for maritime professionals. The project group resulted in a consortium, which includes C-Job Naval Architects, Sea Machines, SeaZip Offshore Service and recently joined by MARIN and eL-Tec elektrotechniek BV. Their combined industry knowledge created this viable, innovative, and sustainable alternative which benefits both wind asset owners and guard vessel operators.

Offshore structures surveillance

The AGV is specifically designed for surveillance of offshore structures throughout their life cycle, ranging from wind farms to substation platforms and cable routes. With any area that needs to be secured, the AGV can continuously monitor nearby marine traffic visually as well as via radar and AIS data. With any vessel that approaches the area, measures will be taken to secure the area in order to avoid collisions and damage to the offshore infrastructure. An intruding vessel can be communicated with and will receive information on how to safely navigate the area as well as being physically escorted away from the site by the AGV. Additionally, the encounter will be recorded to provide video footage in case of any violation or accident.

Pelle de Jong, founding partner of LISA, explained:

“Guard vessels perform an essential job, however, it is not the most exciting one for crew. Combined with the fact that conventional guard vessels are mostly outdated and thus aren’t necessarily the most comfortable let alone sustainable, it can be difficult to find well-trained crew willing to do the job. The group set out to improve upon the overall process of securing an offshore area while incorporating sustainable solutions and reducing overall cost. By utilizing the knowledge we have as a group as well as the technology already available, we succeeded in creating a design which does this and more.”

Sustainable features

Thanks to incorporating state-of-the-art technology, the AGV does not require crew onboard the vessel. Therefore, accommodations can be eliminated in the design, meaning the ship will be considerably smaller than existing guard vessels. The smaller size creates a number of opportunities, such as using batteries thanks to reduced propulsion requirements. Additionally, the reduced power and lack of onboard crew leads to lower operational costs.

Sustainability is key to ensure both the viability and durability of the design. Rolph Hijdra, autonomous research lead at C-Job Naval Architects, said:

“We are pleased we were able to develop a battery-powered design, ensuring the AGV is free of harmful emissions. Additionally, the ship has solar panels across the top which allows for the continuation of navigation and communications in case the batteries run out of power. Contrary to current guard vessels, the AGV will continue to be operational even with rough sea conditions and have minimal underwater noise owing to the smaller size, reduced propulsion requirements and absence of a diesel engine.”

Multiple AGVs onsite

The AGV will recharge its batteries via a charging station. The charging station can be moored independently or connected to existing equipment onsite. Depending on the situation, charging could either be via a cable connection to the on-site equipment such as an offshore transformer platform or locally generated using renewable fuels.

The consortium envisions an offshore site will need a number of AGVs, which can take turns in monitoring the area and recharging. Harm Mulder, operations manager at SeaZip Offshore Service, said:

“The Autonomous Guard Vessels will be constantly patrolling the area and take turns recharging. One fully charged AGV will remain on stand-by supporting operations if a situation arises. For example, when an intrusion is detected – one of the AGVs will monitor, warn, and escort the intruding ship to safety, while the others continue normal operations. Alternatively, it could take over from a monitoring vessel in case the battery runs out of power.”

Human Intervention via Command Center

While the consortium continues to work on the AGV design, they have considered human intervention for the unmanned vessel. Conventional guard vessels patrolling offshore structures, from installation through to decommissioning, have few incidents that require intervention from those onboard the vessel. For those exceptional circumstances the AGV, if human intervention would be required, will be connected to a command center which could control the AGV remotely to ensure correct action is taken. In addition, all data collected by the AGV will be send to the command center. This can be a standalone on a mother ship or a shore-based station.

Smart vessel technology for niche market segments

Frank Relou, business development manager at Sea Machines, said:

“Smart vessel technology will have the most significant initial impact on small workboats, such as this guard vessel. The development of autonomous technology for vessel operations are occurring on an international level but namely in niche segments, such as the guard vessel and other examples, currently operating in (with supervised autonomy), marine survey, fire, patrol, aquaculture and offshore wind operations.”

For more information on this AGV, please contact Sea Machines here.

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GES’ list of distinguished speakers includes outstanding entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, supporters and policymakers from around the world. Johnson will serve as an expert panelist for tomorrow’s “Inspirational Plenary: By Land, by Sea, by Air – All Autonomous Mobility” event, as facilitated by King Willem-Alexander, of the Netherlands.

A short list of GES’ other leading distinguished speakers includes Her Majesty Queen Máxima and Prince Constantijn, of the Netherlands; Ivanka Trump, advisor to the U.S. President; Michael Kratsios, U.S. CTO and deputy assistant to the U.S. President; Elaine L. Chao, U.S. secretary of transportation; Carlos Moedas, EU commissioner for research, science and innovation; Frans van Houten, CEO, Philips; and more. The full list of leading GES 2019 speakers may be viewed online here.

“It is an honor to have been selected as a speaker at the GES,” said Johnson, of the appointment. “As is happening in other industries, Sea Machines is now leading the revolution in the commercial marine space by pioneering autonomous control and advanced perception systems that make surface vessel operations more productive, predictable and safer. I look forward to collaborating with fellow panelists and representing Sea Machines before an audience of acclaimed world leaders.”

Sea Machines’ inaugural SM series of products – which includes the SM300 and SM200 – provides marine operators a new era of capability with task-driven, computer-guided vessel control. These products are now commercially available and can be installed aboard existing or new-build surface vessels to bring advanced autonomy within reach for small- and large-scale operations. The company is also currently developing advanced perception and navigation assistance technology for a range of vessel types, including container ships.

About Sea Machines
Headquartered in the global tech hub of Boston and operating globally, Sea Machines is the leader in pioneering autonomous control and advanced perception systems for the maritime industry. Founded in 2015, the company builds autonomous vessel software and systems, which increases the safety, efficiency and performance of ships, workboats and commercial vessels. Learn more about Sea Machines at www.sea-machines.com.

About GES
2019 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) from June 3-5, 2019, in The Hague. Co-hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo and the Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte, GES 2019 is the ninth such gathering of entrepreneurs, business leaders, supporters, and government officials. Speakers will address ways to support the next wave of entrepreneurship and innovation and the future of agriculture, connectivity, energy, health, and water.

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