Rosetti Superyachts are working to apply the Remote Control Navigation, recently demonstrated at the ITS Tugnology convention in Marseille, to leisure craft

Rosetti Superyachts have announced that they are working with the Group’s Research and Development department to apply Remote Control technology from the commercial sector and adapt it to yachting.

The Remote Control System is based on a M2M connection (machine-to-machine) system installed aboard Giano Tug, a Lloyds Register-certified tugboat.

The system is guaranteed by two Internet encrypted tunnels that ensure cyber security with a direct connection between the ship and remote bridge, without the need to go through third party servers.

Thanks to this technology Giano Tug can be manoeuvred remotely from a console located in an office on land, through the control of the video system, the navigation, propulsion and engine room equipment.

The Giano Tug was presented during the 2018 ITS Tugnology convention in Marseille,  25 to 29 June.
Svitzer Group Marine Manager Captain Carsten Nygaard demonstrated the technology at the event and was able to control the tug from the stand using the remote console.

Remote Control Technology infographic

Using the same technology, which replicate the controls found on the bridge, a yacht could be manoeuvred from and to anywhere by a senior officer based on land.
The commands would be relayed to dry land by the captain on board the vessel. A route could then be entered and the yacht ‘delivered’ to its final destination. Its progress and route would be monitored via a video system and night-vision cameras, assuring double control during navigation to avoid collisions.

Rosetti Superyachts believes that using the bridge-Remote Control Navigation technology could help a yacht owner during long transfers “by enhancing security during navigation and offering the potential to reduce management and insurance costs”.

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The shipyard says that whilst it could years to see self driving cars on the road, some commercial unmanned craft may be at sea before the end of the decade, and that superyachts may follow soon after.

Rosetti Superyacht said in a press release: “Much of the technology for autonomous vessels is already in place, but regulation needs to be properly updated. Autonomous ships are an area of special interest to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which sets the standards for national and international waters. Last year, the IMO launched a regulatory scoping exercise to analyse the impact of self-driving vessels. The extent of regulatory change will depend on the level of autonomy permitted, and Lloyd’s Register, for example, has already published classification guidance for six autonomy levels.
Maritime law is one of the oldest legal systems in the world that has successfully adapted from sail to steam and beyond –no doubt the same will hold true for autonomous remote-controlled vessels in the near future.”