Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) has teamed up with Oki Electric Industry Co to begin a joint study of how Oki’s FlyingView bird’s-eye view monitoring system could be used to monitor a 360° field of view around a tugboat and provide situational awareness support to the captain on board.
In preparation for the study, the system was installed on the tugboat Asaka Maru, owned by Nihon Tug-Boat, which conducted preliminary experiments using the technology.
Implementation required the mounting of four fish-eye cameras on the mast, and installation of a digital compositing system and display on the bridge. This set-up allows the operator to monitor the boat’s surroundings and see its distance from nearby obstacles and other vessels, the company said.
MOL will examine the results of the tests alongside the range of other navigation support system tests it is also currently undertaking, including its existing AR Navigation System and FOCUS EYE projects, as it looks to push improvements in operational safety and reduced environmental impact from vessel operations through the application of technology.
