WELCOME TO THE 6TH EDITION OF THE SAFENAV PROJECT NEWSLETTER!
This period has been extraordinary for SafeNav, marked by significant milestones in our mission to revolutionize and enhancing Safety of Navigation at Sea today and for the future. In this edition, we share the most important achievements from the past few months, Ship visit in July/August and points from our participation in SMM Hamburg 2024, the successful conclusion of the 5th SafeNav General Assembly in Italy, to exciting upcoming events such as the 4th International GNL Global Forum in Panama and the International Ship Control Symposium (iSCSS 2024) in Liverpool.
These milestones not only reflect the progress of the project but also our ability to adapt to emerging trends in technology, sustainability, and energy transition, all crucial to the future of maritime transport.
THIP VISITS IN JULY & AUGUST 2024 – BERGEN, NORWAY
During July and early August 2024, in the Bergen area of Norway, CEO Captain Jorgen Grindevoll visited various external ships and met with shipowners to gather feedback as stakeholders and end users of the SafeNav system. The discussions focused on key enhancements to the SafeNav DSS COLREG module and explored the potential for expanding coverage to additional COLREGs in the future.
A recurring concern raised by end users was cybersecurity, emphasizing its critical importance. This issue has been escalated to the stakeholder meeting and the MVP focus group to ensure it receives the necessary attention.
Other discussions covered topics such as retrofitting the SafeNav system for older vessels and integrating it into the bridge layouts of new builds. These elements have been confirmed to align with SafeNav's vision. Additionally, the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) were highlighted as crucial aspects, ensuring the system remains intuitive and accessible for regular navigators without advanced technical software knowledge. Captain Jorgen was pleased to see that these priorities align perfectly with the goals and objectives of SafeNav.
The primary focus remains on enhancing safety at sea today—going beyond the current industry buzz around autonomous shipping. It is evident that a human-in-the-loop approach will remain essential for many decades to come.
A brief visit to a local shipyard specializing in retrofitting pleasure crafts provided opportunities to explore the potential application of a COLREG DSS module for smaller yachts. The features discussed were deemed comparable to those applicable to larger vessels, offering promising prospects in this domain.
PARTICIPATION IN SMM HAMBURG 2024: REINFORCING THE RIGHT PATH
SafeNav had a strong presence at SMM Hamburg 2024, the most influential global event for the maritime industry. Our CEO, Jorgen Grindevoll, attended the Autonomous Shipping Summit organized by the European Commission and the privately organized SMM Maritime Conference, where key topics such as the current state and challenges of ship navigation, autonomous vessels were presented and discussed. Below are some of the key highlights:
Autonomous navigation and safety: Although the industry continues to advance toward full autonomy, technical and economic challenges remain. The importance of enhancing Safety of Navigation today was emphasized, which strengthens our vision and mission at SafeNav. We are aiming for the MVP for MASS Level 1 system, and this is fully aligned with the
Cybersecurity in the maritime sector: A recurring theme at the conference was the increasing concern about cybersecurity. SafeNav has the opportunity to stand out by developing innovative security solutions focused on post-quantum protection, surpassing current standards.
Investment opportunities: A clear opportunity was identified to attract private investment, which would allow SafeNav to accelerate the development and commercialization of its Decision Support System (DSS), significantly impacting the market over the next five years.
Decarbonization and sustainability: Decarbonization dominated the discussions, with an emphasis on new fuels and green technologies. SafeNav has the chance to position itself as a key player in maritime sustainability, linking its navigation proposals to the global carbon emission reduction goals.
This event not only reaffirmed that SafeNav is on the right track, but also revealed new opportunities and challenges that will help us fine-tune our strategy to continue leading in autonomous navigation and sustainable technology.
5TH SAFENAV GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN RAPALLO/GENOVA: A KEY MILESTONE FOR THE SAFENAV PROJECT
On October 1, SafeNav held its 5th General Assembly in Rapallo/Genova, Italy, a crucial event to review progress and plan the next steps of the project. Some of the key points include:
Successful Technical Demonstration: The technical team, led by Dr. Jas Powell, delivered a key demonstration of the system, marking an important milestone as the first full integration of technology developed within SafeNav. This demo will be crucial for future investor presentations, facilitating the funding needed for the next phases of the project.
Algorithm Testing: During the assembly, algorithm tests were conducted in the Genoa navigation simulator, using both experienced and inexperienced navigators. These trials provided valuable data to further refine SafeNav's autonomous navigation systems. This marks a clear start on the Testing work package 8 in the project and confirms that we are aligned with project plan.
Engagement with Key Stakeholders: The use of storytelling during Jorgen’s presentation was highly effective, leaving an impression on more than 50 key participants, including representatives from the Italian Coast Guard, Italian Navy, and leading companies like Fincantieri/NexTech, the maritime classification society RINA, and the Italian Association of Master Mariner & Chief Engineers (Collegio Capitani di Lungo Corso e Macchina).
In addition, we presented the system and carried out familiarization during demo testing in Genova for members from University professor and Ph.D. candidate from three different universities (University of Naples Federico II, University of Naples Parthenope and University of Genova), this was carried out in the auditorium and in the Full-Scale Navigation simulator in Genova University.
During the GA it was also held a stakeholder meeting, with inputs shared from the past 12 months of advancements in the industry and the need of the different features of the SafeNav technology was discussed. Very good takeaways from these meetings, and this is also now communicated to the MVP team that has been established between Ladar-AI, Offshore Monitoring and Global Maritime Services.
This event was a great success thanks to the coordinated effort of the entire team but special thanks to the University of Genova and Dr. Michele Martelli for the effort to put the GA, the demo event and the disseminating events together. Reinforcing our commitment to advancing SafeNav to new development levels.
MONACO YACHT SHOW, SEPTEMBER 2024:
SafeNav consortium partners attended the Monaco Yacht Show this year to explore the latest technological advancements in the industry. We have identified significant market potential for a smaller version of SafeNav, which would greatly benefit the yachting industry and medium-sized pleasure crafts. Although many yachts are already equipped with advanced situational awareness technology, the COLREG module from SafeNav DSS could be more easily integrated into these vessels compared to larger commercial ones. The event facilitated many engaging discussions and provided a comprehensive overview of the technologies currently shaping the yachting sector. A valuable event and points carried onwards to the MVP focus group.
GNL GLOBAL FORUM 2024:
Innovation and sustainability continue to be key themes for SafeNav. On October 16, we presented at the 4th International GNL Global Forum in Panama, where CEO Captain Jorgen Grindevoll will share his experience and vision on how advanced technology can accelerate the Safety of Navigation and the energy transition in the maritime domain. We held several meetings with ship owners, and we also attended a chat with the Maritime Federal Commissioner of the United States of America and we also talked with the Panama Canal Maritime Safey Representative and visited the Panama Canal and where able to observed two different transits in the Miraflores locks, and also discuss safety points with external captains, and training needed for the navigators to handle such a new system as SafeNav, one of these Captains are also now selected to give us stakeholder point of view of the UX/UI of the SafeNav demo system in the upcoming weeks.
SafeNav Showcases Cutting-Edge Maritime Safety Innovations at INEC/iSCSS 2024
🌊 SafeNav proudly participated in the INEC/iSCSS 2024 conference by IMarEST, where our team presented innovations shaping maritime safety. Jas Powell from Global Maritime Services Ltd. highlighted advancements in maritime communications, while Michele Martelli and Massimo Figari showcased frameworks for validating collision avoidance algorithms. Experts Quentin Ageneau and Guillaume Nulac from SIREHNA discussed integrating COLREG-compliant decision support systems. SafeNav continues to lead in maritime safety innovation, redefining secure navigation
