Autonomous shipping safety in cities explored

Funded by the Swedish Transport Agency, the project is coordinated by the Research Institutes of Sweden alongside the Ports of Stockholm, Norwegian shipping company Torghatten, technology supplier Zeabuz, Vattenbussen and DNV.

“Being part of a joint effort to explore and develop the safety aspects of innovative autonomous vessels is fully aligned with the City of Stockholm’s quays strategy, where one of the focus areas is research and development of urban water-borne transport,” said Ports of Stockholm chief executive, Magdalena Bosson.

Ports of Stockholm’s newest customer, shipping company Torghatten, has already announced the introduction this spring of an autonomous electric ferry service in central Stockholm.

“The concept behind the project is to investigate the inherent policy-related challenges of autonomous operation, both prior to and in parallel with the introduction of the new Stockholm service,” explained Reidun Svarva, business development manager at Torghatten.

“This is important when we transition from the stage of having an operator aboard to being a service that is monitored and controlled remotely from a control room on the mainland,” she said.

The Vattenbussen company was founded to explore reducing climate impact through greater use of waterways.

“For commuters the frequency of services is often a decisive factor,” said Susanna Hall Kihl, managing director of Vattenbussen.

“This project is a first and important step to being able to introduce new and attractive options for cyclists and pedestrians in the future,” she added.

The research project will run from February 2023 until February 2025.