Polaris Shipping, ABS, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), and autonomous navigation systems provider Avikus have signed a four-party agreement to conduct a joint concept study for the implementation of a conditional unmanned bridge.
Under the agreement, the partners will develop an autonomous navigation concept enabling unmanned bridge operation during deep-sea voyages when defined conditions are met. The project will target a 325K Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC) operated by Polaris Shipping.
The phased autonomous navigation concept does not involve fully unmanned operations across an entire voyage. Instead, the bridge will be left unattended only under specific low-risk conditions, such as open-ocean passages.
“The technical complexity of the concept lies not in any single system, but in the interactions between autonomous navigation, vessel design and the conditions during unmanned bridge periods,” said Patrick Ryan, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of ABS.
“ABS will apply a structured safety evaluation, drawing on hazard identification, functional safety analysis, and alignment with the IMO MASS Code, to get a clear, evidence-based picture of the unmanned bridge concept.”
As part of the study, Polaris Shipping will review the operational profile of its VLOC fleet and derive quantitative parameters grounded in real crew operations, including human response times. Avikus will define the operational concept of the autonomous navigation system required for an unmanned bridge, along with the corresponding technical requirements.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) will identify vessel design modifications based on the resulting concept and review the associated design drawings, while ABS will independently review the safety and regulatory perspectives.
“The 325K VLOC, with its high proportion of open-ocean voyages, is a suitable target for the unmanned bridge concept. We plan to use real operational data to quantitatively define the boundary between human and automated operations,” said Kim Do-Hoon, Chief Operating Officer of Polaris Shipping.
The four organisations will refine the concept through iterative reviews from safety, design, and operational standpoints to address any identified regulatory gaps. The final outcomes of the evaluation will be compiled into a technical publication.
