Unmanned vessel sets milestone

The first domestically produced 100-metric-ton-level vessel in China has successfully completed a round-trip autonomous navigation mission between Zhoushan, Zhejiang province and Sanya, Hainan province, with a total range of 4,206 kilometers, setting a record for autonomous navigation for unmanned vessels on deep-sea voyages. It is also China's first deep-sea autonomous navigation journey involving ultra-long-distance unmanned vessels.

The special round-trip training mission took 248 hours, with autonomous navigation time accounting for 96.57 percent. The voyage went through multiple tests such as high sea conditions, thick fog, low visibility at night, and busy waterway traffic flow.

During the execution of the mission, the trajectory was precise and showed good adaptability to the mission payload, and the environmental adaptability and system stability were further verified.

Sun Qiyu, manager of the general affairs department of Beikun Intelligence — developer of the unmanned surface vessel — said: "During the autonomous navigation, the unmanned surface vessel can automatically adopt collision avoidance strategies within 3.7 km of incoming ships. It always maintains a safe distance of at least 0.55 km from incoming vessels, and restores the scheduled route with a smooth path after avoidance."

Beikun said the autonomous vessel is equipped with core systems such as intelligent assisted navigation, an intelligent engine room and an energy management system, all of which are independently developed by Zhejiang Artking — parent company of Beikun Intelligence.

As the "smart brain" of navigation, the intelligent assisted navigation system can accurately perceive the surrounding situation, make intelligent decisions regarding the navigation path, and efficiently complete key actions such as autonomous obstacle avoidance and heading stability control.

The intelligent engine room and energy management system act as the "intelligent heart," which can automatically dispatch power energy according to navigation conditions, continuously and stably supply energy in complex maritime conditions, and provide reliable support for ultra-long-range autonomous navigation.

The field test marks an important breakthrough in China's independent research and development of high-end marine equipment and intelligent navigation technology in the deep sea. It verifies the technical feasibility and engineering reliability of China's 100-ton unmanned surface vessel for deep sea autonomous navigation, industry experts said.