Just last week, the maritime world saw yet another drastic collision, this time between the MV Stena Immaculate and the feeder containership MV Solong off Grimsby in the UK. Such incidents continue to occur with unsettling frequency, and while the investigation team will eventually pinpoint the causes, one fact remains indisputable: the vast majority of collisions at sea are caused by human error.
Meanwhile, in commercial aviation, mid-air collisions have been virtually eliminated thanks to the software application known as TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System). TCAS doesn’t just alert pilots to potentially dangerous situations via visual and auditory warning, it helps them take evasive action to take to avoid disaster.
„So why doesn’t the maritime industry have its own version of TCAS?” asks Capt. Jørgen Grindevoll, Founder & CEO of maritime technology company SafeNav.
THE FLAW IN MARITIME NAVIGATION TODAY
For years, the response to maritime safety concerns has been to invest in better sensors – more advanced Radars, AIS, ECDIS, LIDAR and, more recently, high-resolution computer-vision for enhanced situational awareness. „These tools are absolutely essential, but they only provide fragmented information. The problem is not the lack of data and target classification – it’s the absence of a system that integrates all this information into a single, unified decision-making platform,” Grindevoll says.
Aircraft operate in three-dimensional space with the ability to climb or descend to avoid a collision, yet they still have TCAS to provide explicit, real-time instructions. Ships, in contrast, often operate in heavily trafficked waters and in poor weather conditions with far more constraints on manoeuvrability, yet navigators still rely solely on warnings and their own judgment – without an integrated decision-support tool. „This decision-support gap in navigational safety is exactly what the SafeNav platform is designed to close, some 15 years since the last navigation technology update, that is ECDIS,” says Grindevoll.
THE TCAS FOR SHIPPING
SafeNav is a digital/AI-driven co-pilot and decision-support system that finally brings real-time, actionable guidance to the bridge. „Unlike standalone hardware-dependent solutions, SafeNav is a software module that seamlessly integrates with any existing navigation and situational-awareness systems, meaning shipowners don’t need to invest in yet more expensive hardware,” says Grindevoll.
SafeNav’s unique collision-avoidance benefits include:
Full COLREGS compliance – dynamically applies 34 out of 40 COLREGS to assess the best course of action in any navigational situation – far exceeding competing solutions, which typically cover only two or three.
Aggregates and fuses data from multiple sources in real time – Radar, LIDAR, AIS, autopilot, CCTV, machine-vision camera systems and future connection to ECDIS – enabling detection of all types of hazards input into the SafeNav module.
Provides explicit course-change recommendations, e.g. „Turn 20 degrees to starboard to avoid collision.”
Designed to work with human decision-makers, allowing navigators to retain full control while making informed decisions based on digitally driven decision support.
The system is ahead of the IMO MASS Level 1 regulations, which will release their full guidance in 2028. There is growing concern in the industry over alarm fatigue among vessel crews and the tendency to switch off or mute alarms. This may be acceptable in the case of non-critical systems but I propose that the industry needs to assure that critical collision-avoidance guidance is always active.
„This is not another autonomous vessel pitch. It’s not about replacing crews – it’s about giving navigators the tools they need to make better, faster decisions by leveraging technology already available, and still keeping the 'human in the loop’,” Grindevoll adds.
ON COURSE TO SET A NEW INDUSTRY STANDARD
SafeNav is already in the process of obtaining approval in principle (AiP) from class society DNV, setting the stage for a new industry standard. Unlike full-autonomy solutions that require years of regulatory adaptation and vessel retrofitting, SafeNav can be deployed today, as a software module that works with any vessel’s existing hardware infrastructure.
„Shipping companies operating in high-regulation sectors – like oil, gas and chemical transport – are already being under pressure from organisations like OCIMF (SIRE 2.0) to enhance safety protocols. SafeNav offers a scalable, cost-effective solution that allows fleet operators to meet safety expectations without multi-million-dollar overhauls,” says Grindevoll.
THE INDUSTRY MUST ACT NOW
The recent incident off Grimsby is just the latest in a long list of preventable collisions, he adds. According to the European Maritime Safety Administration (EMSA), there were over 1,000 maritime collisions, contact damages and groundings in 2024, with an average of 2,500 casualties and incidents on yearly basis. The economic and environmental costs of these incidents are huge, not to mention the human cost. The status quo is unacceptable.
„The problem is not a lack of available technology – it’s a failure to integrate the right tools into a unified decision-making system. Aviation learned this lesson decades ago with TCAS. It’s time for the maritime industry to follow suit with the new digital tools available today – which should be mandatory to avoid collisions at sea, not least in busy coastal shipping zones,” Grindevoll says.
SafeNav is already running on a full-scale bridge simulator in Italy, with real-world ship trials beginning soon. „Investors, regulators and shipowners must decide: will they wait for another high-profile disaster to act or will they embrace the future of maritime safety today?” he concludes.
