The Marshal Rokossovsky and General Chernyakhovsky ferries, operating on the Seaport of Ust-Luga – Seaport of Kaliningrad line, have transported about 1,343 thousand tons of cargo, 1,237 passengers and traveled more than 150 thousand nautical miles since being equipped with autonomous navigation systems.

The equipment for operation in autonomous mode was installed on June 30, 2023. In September 2023, Marshal Rokossovsky and General Chernyakhovsky ferries received certificates of marine autonomous and remotely operated surface vessels (MANS) for the first time in Russia. A Remote Control Center (RCC) has been established in St. Petersburg to ensure the autonomous control of vessels.

Currently, autonomous navigation systems on ferries have been put into trial operation and continue to be used to provide remote control at each crossing of ferries carrying out regular transportation according to the service timetable. The vessel is managed by an external captain from the RCC with a crew on board, whose presence is necessary for insurance in case of an emergency.

"Autonomous vessel navigation is the work carried out by FSUE "Rosmorport" within the framework of the federal project of the same name. In today's conditions, this is a real support for domestic developments, including artificial intelligence and big data processing. It also promotes import substitution in the field of marine navigation equipment and communication systems. In the long term, this will solve a number of problems, including cheaper fares, increased revenues from the commercial use of the fleet, and a wider range of consumers. It is also important to improve the level of navigation safety," says Andrey Tarasenko, Head of Rosmorrechflot.

"Maritime transport in Russia is one of the sectors where we act as the world's first maritime power in which autonomous shipping technologies are being introduced not only for experimentation and testing, but also for commercial operation. FSUE "Rosmorport" has been actively involved in the implementation of the Federal Project "Autonomous Navigation" for several years. This is a progressive work related to the identification and elimination of all possible risks and improving the reliability of communication systems along the entire route of vessels in autonomous mode," emphasizes Sergey Pylin, General Director of FSUE "Rosmorport".

"When deploying autonomous navigation systems on the ferries Marshal Rokossovsky and General Chernyakhovsky, the enterprise took into account the experience of previously conducted tests of a-Navigation technologies on its service and auxiliary fleet vessels, which made it possible to avoid many mistakes when delegating functions related to maritime risk to automated systems in order to ensure safe and accident-free navigation," adds the Head of FSUE "Rosmorport".

Work on the implementation of autonomous navigation systems on vessels still continues. This year, FSUE "Rosmorport" will begin works on refitting the autonomous navigation system of the ecological vessel Koporye and the introduction of a remote control for a marine autonomous surface vessel in the RCC MANS in St. Petersburg. It is planned that Koporye vessel will receive a certificate of autonomy class in 2025.