MOL upgrades AR navigation system

MITSUI O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has enhanced the augmented reality (AR) navigation system jointly developed with Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. to help navigators avoid dangerous shallow areas.

MOL President & CEO Junichiro Ikeda said the AR navigation system upgrade will enable the system to automatically display borders between deep-sea areas where vessels can navigate safely and shallower areas that may pose risks.

The AR navigation system has already been installed on 24 MOL-operated very large crude carriers (VLCCs) and will continue to expand the installation of the system to more vessels in the future.

It has proceeded trials on ships in its energy transport fleet including LNG carriers, as well as dry bulkers.

The AR navigation system provides visual support to crewmembers during their watch-keeping and ship operations. It has used AR technology to superimpose images taken from the bridge and voyage information.

“The previous system required manual setting to display shallow areas, but this upgrade allows for automatic full-time display of the safety contour in red, yellow, or orange,” MOL said.

The users can set the arbitrary color to easily sense the risk. This will support the navigators’ situation awareness visually.

“MOL continually positions safety as a top priority, and takes a proactive stance in development and improvement of products, including this AR navigation system, which contributes to the safety of marine traffic, to earn customers’ continued trust and become their first choice for shipping and logistics services,” the company said.