Within the framework of participation in the IX International Forum "Arctic Projects - Today and Tomorrow", which was held in Arkhangelsk on December 9-10, 2021, Kirill Gaida, Deputy General Director for Navigation Safety of FSUE "Rosmorport", made a report on the activities carried out by FSUE "Rosmorport" in part of the project to develop autonomous navigation in Russia.

FSUE "Rosmorport" takes part in the implementation of the pilot project for the introduction of technologies of autonomous ship navigation (a-Navigation), conducted with the participation of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation. The company, together with equipment developers, is working on the possibility of wide operation of autonomous vessels under the Russian flag.

Now the technologies are being tested on the vessels of the dredging fleet: the dredger Redut and the dredging scow Rabochaya. The dredger is equipped with a remote control unit (RCU), from which it is possible to monitor and control the vessel. Special equipment of a basic technological platform is also installed on Rabochaya.

In the next two years, as part of the "Autonomous Ship Navigation" beacon project, it is planned to introduce a-Navigation technology on the automobile and railway ferries Marshal Rokossovsky and General Chernyakhovsky, which will transport cargo from the sea port of Ust-Luga to the Kaliningrad region.

It is expected that the introduction of technologies of autonomous navigation will create a pulling effect for the development of domestic high-tech industries, will significantly reduce the impact of human factor on the safety of maritime transport, and in the future will reduce the cost of freight by reducing operating costs.