Cruise & Ferry Review - Spring/Summer 2021

1 1 6 Improving cruise ship navigation Innovative technologies are simplifying route planning, improving ship handling and making cruising a safer, more efficient and more environmentally compliant industry A lthough the cruise industry has been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic, innovations continue to be introduced thanks to remote training, research and testing. Many of us in the industry are waiting quietly, ready for launch when cruising resumes. Our goal, with proper training and the pilot’s agreement, is to be able drive a ship into port using our track control system which functions as a sophisticated autopilot. We hope to use this to get into position just off the berth, and then use the mini wheel or tillers along with thrusters and pods to swing and dock the vessel. This will bypass the need for any helmsman and place the pilot in an indirect or advising role, creating three major advantages. Firstly, the ship can follow a pre-planned track which has been thoroughly checked and can be explained in advance to the team. Secondly, the bridge team will be in a monitoring role and can concentrate on where the ship is and where it will be in the future. And finally, the bridge will be a much quieter place, enabling the team to concentrate on actual ship response. At present, ships don’t have the luxury of the instrument landing system glide slopes, radio navigational aids and visual approach lights that aircraft have when approaching runways. Some ports have leading lights to assist ships on narrow transits, but these cannot be seen in fog. Generally, we must navigate very large ships into ports that were not originally designed for them. Captains have to rely on good planning, competent bridge teams, training, experience and pilots. But new technology is on the horizon. With the future beckoning the marine industry towards autonomous ships, the cruise sector has embraced efforts Captain Nick Nash believes traditional navigation skills will always be essential By Captain Nick Nash, The Nautical Institute FEATURE: NAV IGATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY “ The cruise sector has embraced efforts to become a truly safe, efficient and environmentally compliant industry”