AI-Enhanced Navigation System Promises Safer Seas for Massive Ships

Maritime
startup
Orca
AI
is
revolutionizing
safety
at
sea
with
its
AI-powered
navigation
system,
SeaPod,
which
provides
real-time
video
processing
to
assist
crews
in
making
data-driven
decisions
in
congested
waters
and
low-visibility
conditions,
according
to
the

NVIDIA
Technical
Blog.

Innovative
Technology
Reduces
Risk

SeaPod,
the
navigation
module
developed
by
Orca
AI,
is
equipped
with
five
HD
cameras
for
daytime
viewing
and
three
thermal
cameras
for
nighttime
vision.
This
system
can
analyze
and
annotate
live
video
even
in
foggy
conditions,
providing
navigators
with
crucial
insights
about
objects
up
to
8
nautical
miles
away.
This
annotated
data,
including
information
about
other
vessels’
relative
size
and
speed,
is
displayed
on
a
computer
screen
in
the
ship’s
pilothouse.

AI-Powered
Solutions

Orca
AI
is
part
of
the
NVIDIA
Inception
program
for
cutting-edge
startups.
Its
cloud-connected,
AI-powered
navigation
system
operates
using
NVIDIA
GeForce
RTX
4070s
for
inferencing
and
NVIDIA
cuOpt
for
optimizing
the
most
efficient
path
to
a
ship’s
destinations.
The
company
utilizes
the
NVIDIA
GStreamer
multimedia
framework
for
video
processing.

Addressing
Maritime
Challenges

Founded
in
2018
by
Dor
Raviv
and
Yarden
Gross,
Orca
AI
leverages
their
experience
in
the
Israeli
Navy
to
address
the
needs
of
commercial
shippers
and
naval
planners.
Raviv
highlights
that
as
more
ships
enter
operation
to
meet
rising
consumer
demand,
waterways
are
becoming
more
congested,
leading
to
an
increase
in
safety
incidents.
Additionally,
increased
fuel
consumption
contributes
to
higher
costs
and
larger
CO2
emissions,
with
the
shipping
industry
releasing
1.2
billion
metric
tons
of
CO2
into
the
atmosphere
last
year
alone.

Environmental
and
Operational
Benefits

Orca
AI’s
navigation
system
aims
to
make
maritime
navigation
safer
and
more
efficient,
reducing
the
need
for
sudden
evasive
maneuvers,
which
burn
extra
fuel
and
increase
CO2
emissions.
Raviv
notes
that
the
company
has
already
prevented
more
than
170,000
tons
of
CO2
emissions
from
being
released
into
the
atmosphere.

Proven
Efficacy

The
SeaPod
system
is
installed
on
more
than
400
vessels,
with
over
1,000
ships
expected
to
adopt
the
technology
soon.
Ships
using
the
system
have
reported
a
33%
reduction
in
close
encounters
in
open
water
and
a
40%
drop
in
crossing
events.
Earlier
this
year,
NorthStandard,
one
of
the
world’s
largest
maritime
insurers,
announced
plans
to
subsidize
the
cost
of
installing
the
SeaPod
system
due
to
its
proven
effectiveness.

Future
Growth
and
Data
Utilization

Orca
AI’s
ambitions
continue
to
grow,
with
the
company
owning
the
world’s
largest
library
of
maritime
video,
which
is
used
to
train
its
AI
systems
further.
This
data
helps
fleet
owners
analyze
ship
and
crew
performance,
identifying
efficiencies
and
savings.
Raviv
emphasizes
that
the
real-time
analytics
provided
by
Orca
AI
give
fleet
owners
unprecedented
visibility
into
their
vessels,
enhancing
safety
and
operational
efficiency.

For
more
information
about
the
NVIDIA
Inception
program
and
how
to
become
an
Inception
member,
visit
NVIDIA’s
website.

Image
source:
Shutterstock