Page 21: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (December 2020)

“This is hard stuff; it’s not automation ... this is autonomy ... many data streams coming together, more complex algorithms, prioritization of messages, data shedding ... we bring machine learning and AI into our computer vision side of our product. ”

Michael G Johnson

Founder, CEO, Sea Machines

Sea Machines to supply a new autonomous test vessel – for insights on with the Sharktech boat with the Sea Machine system on the the pace and direction of maritime autonomy in 2021 and Metal Shark 29 D, and from my understanding, they (the beyond. USCG) saw what we had and they basically said: ‘We want

In late September 2020 the United States Coast Guard that.’” (USCG) selected Metal Shark and Sea Machines to supply an “I tend to think of Sea Machines as a like-minded com- autonomous test vessel to the USCG Research and Develop- pany,” said Chris Allard, CEO, Metal Shark. “They are for- ment Center (RDC). The welded-aluminum 29 De? ant craft ward-leaning, they’re quick, and they’re doing new things is the latest product of Metal Shark’s Sharktech Autonomous often outside of being asked to do it. They’ll see a market op-

Vessels division to be equipped with Sea Machines SM300 portunity and just do it. (I see Sea Machines as a) cultural ? t autonomous-command and remote-helm technology. The with our company; we’re in different spaces but both spaces new vessel will then be homeported at the RDC’s facility in need each other.”

New London, CT.

“Sea Machines is a ? ve-year-old company, and I think one Opportunities Abound of the ? rst business trips we made was to the Coast Guard While the market for autonomy is in its early infancy, there

R&D Center,” said Johnson. “One of the things about the are many areas where it could potentially manifest quickly,

Coast Guard we felt from the very beginning is that there was including data collection/survey; surveillance and protection a strong interest, to where we felt that they were encouraging around ? sheries, and commercial passenger and crew ves- us to move forward with this technology,” to help address sels, to name but a few. “The big area that we’re working on some of the challenges inherent in human-error accidents now is crew transport vessels,” said Johnson. You will see a across the maritime space. “Autonomy (is a) big value driver lot of them for really the ? rst movers are in the wind farms. to bring predictability to operations, de-risking operations It’s a very routine because the wind farms stay in one area, and making them safer.” one spot, there’s a ? xed base and it’s a back and forth opera-

While Sea Machines’ technology is agnostic to boat man- tion. It’s a routine operation where autonomy brings a lot of ufacturer or platform, it has built a close relationship with value.

Metal Shark in recent years. “We have a really good setup Metal Shark is amply diversi? ed across commercial, gov- www.marinelink.com 21

MR #12 (18-33).indd 21 12/4/2020 8:46:13 AM