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ASIAMARINE&OFFSHOREINDUSTRIESDIRECTORY2025/2026Stage2whichbeganinlate2022focusesonachievingautonomousnavigationequivalenttoLevel4autonomousdriving-wherevehiclesoperateindependentlyinmostconditionswithouthumaninterventionKeyprioritiesincludeimprovingcollisionavoidancetechnologiesrefiningauto-berthingandunberthingsystemsandfosteringpublicacceptanceoffullyautonomousvesselsAsignificantmilestonewasreachedon18July2024withthecompletionoftheworldsfirstFleetOperationCentreformultipleautonomousshipsinNishinomiyaCityHyogoPrefectureThiscentreacornerstoneoftheMEGURI2040projectenablesremotenavigationsupportforuptofourautonomousshipssimultaneouslyItwillplayapivotalroleinthenextphaseoftestingplannedforJuly2025WhileJapanisleadinglarge-scaleinitiativesSingaporeismakingsignificantstridesinitsownrightHomegrowntechnologyandengineeringgroupSTEngineeringhasdevelopedtheAUTONOMAST™system-amodularkitthatconvertscrewedvesselsintoUnmannedSurfaceVessels(USVs)Itisthefirstsystemofitskindtobeoperationallyprovenwithover10000successfulhoursloggedintheheavilytraffickedSingaporeStraitsAUTONOMAST™offersapracticalandscalableapproachtobuildingautonomousfleetsespeciallyfororganisationslookingtoenhancetheirUSVcapabilitieswithoutinvestinginentirelynewvesselsIntegrationtakesbetween6 to12 months andhas already been successfullyappliedtoarangeofvesselsfrom15-metrecrafttolargeroll-on/roll-off(Ro-Ro)shipsThisflexibilitymakesitastandoutsolutionforovercomingcostandscalabilitychallengesinautonomousshippingdevelopmentSingaporesprovendeploymentofAUTONOMAST™alongsideJapansMEGURI2040programmeanditslargescaleambitionsreflectsthedifferentbutcomplementarypathsbothcountriesaretakingtowardautonomousshippingTogethertheyhighlightthepracticalandstrategicprogressshapingthefutureofmaritimetransportEnhancingSafetyandEfficiencywithSubseaRoboticsWhetheritsoffshorewindfarmsoroilrigstheoffshoreindustrysprioritiesremainconsistent–ensuringthesafeandefficientinstallationinspectionmaintenanceandeventualdecommissioningofoffshorestructuresHowevertheharshandunpredictableconditionsofthedeep-seaenvironmentmakethesetaskschallengingoftenputtinghumancrewsatsignificantriskEntersubsearobotics-atransformativesolutionattheintersectionofsafetyandefficiencyAutonomousroboticstookahistoricstepforwardin2018whenTaurobanAustriancompanyincollaborationwithGermanysTechnicalUniversityofDarmstadtdeployedthefirstautonomousrobotintheoffshoreindustryThisrobotdeployedatFrenchoilcompanyTotalsgasplantintheNorthSeawastaskedwithvisualinspectionsandgasleakdetection-markingthebeginningofaneweraforoffshoreoperationsFastforwardtotodayandagrowingnumberofoffshorecompaniesareturningtoautonomousunderwatervehicles(AUVs)andremotelyoperated vehicles(ROVs) tooptimiseoperationsenhancesafetyandreduceenvironmentalimpactWhilebothtypesofrobotsexcelinunderwaterdatacollectioninspectionandsurveyingtheirkeydifferenceliesinautonomyROVsaretetheredtosurfaceoperatorsrequiringreal-timecontrolwhileAUVsarefullyself-propelledoperatingindependentlywithouthumaninterventionThisautonomysignificantlylowerscostsbyreducingtheneedforsurfacevesselstosupportoperationsIndustry40technologiesparticularlyartificialintelligence(AI)andmachinelearningarefurtherenhancingthecapabilitiesofsubsearoboticsWithAI-drivenalgorithmsAUVsandROVscanmakehuman-likedecisionsinreal-timeadaptingtotheirsurroundingsandoptimisingmovementsTheseadvancementsallowsubsearobotstodetectstructuralanomaliespredictmaintenancerequirementsandimprove operational efficiencyFor exampleduringinspectionsAI-enabledrobotscanidentifyissuesoutsidestandardparametersofferinginsightsthatimprovesafetyandreducedowntime8