What does the actual Navigators say about autonomous shipping?

An Interview of Captain Jorgen Grindevoll

Captain Jorgen Grindevoll - Founder & CEO of SafeNav

Photo Credit: Lisa Mari Bynes

There’s a lot of talk about autonomous vessels in the maritime world these days. Some claim that “fully autonomous” ships are just around the corner. Others go as far as to say their vessels are already sailing themselves. But then there are those of us who take a more grounded and realistic view, who believe real progress starts with building practical tools for the Captains and Navigators onboard today. We believe the future begins with the human (navigator) still in the loop.

For those of us who’ve spent years at sea, we know this industry doesn’t pivot on hype or buzzwords. It moves forward on trust, precision, proven results, and most importantly, by solving real problems at sea. At SafeNav, we’ve spoken directly with over 200 Navigators in just the past few months. The message is clear: the path forward starts with supporting the Navigator on board, not replacing them.

That’s why SafeNav is not pushing autonomy for the sake of it. We’re starting where it matters most, with a true decision support system. We call it the SafeNav Co-pilot. It’s designed to help today’s Navigators make better, faster decisions to avoid collisions, grounding, and contact damage, all in full compliance with the Collision Regulations at Sea (COLREGs). From this solid foundation, we’ll evolve toward supporting remote and semi-autonomous operations. But we’re clear about our priorities: help the human (navigator) onboard first.

Let’s Clarify Some Terms 

When we talk about autonomous shipping, we’re referring to vessels that sail without any humans onboard, or even ashore controlling them. It’s an elegant idea in theory, but in practice, it runs into major challenges: who handles maintenance onboard? What spare parts and components are needed to truly operate autonomously, and at what cost compared to having a crew? Then there’s the question of regulatory frameworks, which remain largely unresolved, and the business feasibility, cybersecurity concerns, and unpredictable real-world scenarios like onboard fires or abandon ship procedures. Who will be onboard to guide passengers on a ferry or cruise ship in such events?

“Even the IMO is still defining what autonomy at sea should actually look like. And yes, we are years away from any large-scale adoption of fully autonomous commercial vessels. This is not just my opinion, it is the common opinion from people who have actually worked on ships and dealt with the complexities firsthand. It might be a bit harsh to say this, but real-world problems done get solved with buzzwords says Capt. Jorgen Grindevoll.”

“I’ve worked on several newbuilds over the past decade,” Capt. Grindevoll adds. “Even the last ship we took out of a high-tech shipyard in South Korea needed more crew than normal ships in regular operations, not less, because the automation systems added more complexity and workload, not less. There’s a reason we still have pilots in planes, even though full autonomy is technically possible.”

And then there’s the path that SafeNav has chosen for the first step, one that’s far more grounded in the needs of today. A Digital Co-Pilot for maritime navigation: a system that provides real-time advice to the Navigator on where to turn to avoid collisions at sea, whether a speed adjustment is needed, and all following and complying with the COLREGs in complex traffic. It is not just for the future, it is designed to enhance safety on the bridge right now.

SafeNav Platform: Graphical User Interfaces

What a Co-Pilot really means

When we say SafeNav is a digital co-pilot, we don’t say that this is full AI, or Autonomous shipping and so forth, it’s not autonomy in that sense, it’s rather a real-time decision support system that works hand in hand with the bridge team. Think of it as an assistant that never gets tired, constantly scans for collision risks, evaluates the vessel’s behavior in context, and offers recommendations for your next maneuver that will then improve safety and performance of the vessel.

The vision for SafeNav is not there to replace anyone, it is there to amplify human decision-making and to support the navigators in their daily work, either onboard a commercial vessel or even a navigator/operator for a semi-remote operated vessel or unmanned surface drone.

The system is also built to learn from human errors, comparing operator decisions to the digitally encoded COLREGs embedded in SafeNav. As the system gathers more data across different conditions and maneuvering patterns, it opens up the potential for type-specific training modules, based on actual near-miss data collected from vessels in operation.

“Near misses happen every day at sea, yet most go unlogged and little reporting is actually done on near misses during navigation, With SafeNav, these moments become opportunities, not just for learning, but for a measurable improvement in navigational safety at a global scale” says Capt. Grindevoll

Standard Ship Navigation Bridge on LNG Carrier

The 5th International Ship Autonomy Summit

Last summer in Hamburg, during the Maritime SMM Conference 2024, the European Commission hosted the 5th International Ship Autonomy Summit. The event brought together sharp minds and engaging speakers, but, as Capt. Jorgen Grindevoll observed, the conversation remained overwhelmingly focused on what he calls the “White Elephant in the room”: fully autonomous shipping and navigation.

But Capt. Grindevoll asks a simple but overlooked question: “How is full autonomous navigation even possible without first fully digitalizing the Collision Regulations (COLREGs)?”

“I’ve sat through presentation after presentation on full autonomy over the years, countless conferences, presentations, white papers, roadmaps, simulations etc. But somewhere along the way, I feel we lost touch with the reality of what a ship actually is. What happens when you lose critical navigation equipment in a storm? Or an engine fails mid-transit? Or you're navigating with a fatigued and undermanned crew? In those moments what matters is whether the people onboard have the right support, the right tools, to keep the vessel, its crew, and cargo safe.”

Despite this, many summits continue to focus on futuristic autonomy without addressing foundational questions, like spare part quality, onboard maintenance, or even the complexity of integrating autonomy with real human workflows.

As Capt. Grindevoll highlights: “Navigation might actually be the easiest part of autonomy. The engine room is the real challenge. And more importantly, we need decision support systems that work with the human in the loop, not neglecting them.”

This is exactly where SafeNav operates. We’re not building another White Elephant. We’re creating a system that supports today’s realities and evolves step by step with tomorrow’s technology. And maybe most importantly, we’re building it alongside those who truly understand the sea, the Captains, Navigators, and Mariners working on vessels right now. Because, as our Founder & CEO firmly believes: “SafeNav is made by Navigators, for Navigators.”

The result of an poll voting reg. if the human will become redundant in MASS operations in the medium to long-term future, the answer was clear: a 95% No.

Photo from the Autonomous Shipping Summit in Hamburg in 2024

A transition, not a revolution 

We all know autonomy is coming, one way or another in the future. But if we push forward without first building trust, we risk moving technology faster than safety can keep up. “The maritime industry isn’t like the typical tech world. Things move more slowly in this industry, several reasons for that says Capt. Grindevoll. But if you believe that the future of maritime safety should be built together, not by removing humans, but by empowering them with the right tools to enhance safety, then we are ready to talk. Whether you are a potential partner, collaborator, investor or end user, we are ready to see how we can work together enhancing safety at sea.

“Let’s not forget the Navigators that are onboard today. Let’s empower them to make better and safer decisions at sea.”, Capt. Jorgen Grindevoll