ABS, Polaris Shipping, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and AVIKUS signed a four-party Concept Study Agreement to develop a conditional unmanned bridge for Polaris Shipping's 325K Very Large Ore Carriers. The concept enables unmanned bridge operation during deep-sea open-ocean passages under defined low-risk conditions, widely regarded as the most realistic near-term autonomous shipping deployment. ABS will conduct structured safety evaluations aligned with the IMO MASS Code, Polaris will use real operational data to define human-automation boundaries, HHI will identify vessel design modifications, and AVIKUS will define the autonomous navigation system requirements. The four parties intend to build technical and operational readiness for what is expected to be the first autonomous shipping concept to reach commercial deployment.
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