THE INDIAN Register of Shipping (IRS) and Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT) have today (8 July) signed a memorandum of understanding to develop a ship trajectory prediction tool.
The tool aims to improve maritime safety by predicting the movements of disabled vessels and objects drifting in open sea.
The IRS say prediction of trajectory for disabled ships is a critical aspect of maritime safety, and can facilitate early warnings and rescue operation planning.
Further, IRS acknowledged the influence of location-specific environmental conditions as important for timely and effective response efforts.
The tool intends to enable quick response for locating the drifting vessels, as well as rerouting nearby vessels to improve maritime safety.
The IRS say the project also aims to create a computer program with automated report generation capabilities, intended for integration into existing IRS Emergency Response System software programs.
Professors Manas Behera and VK Srineash of IIT Bombay stated that the collaboration and initiative emphasised the commitment of IIT b htowards active industry academia interaction for achieving national goals.
The current project initiatives aim to develop a made-in-India software system to enhance maritime safety, rescue and support operations.
P K Mishra, joint managing director of IRS, said, “This collaboration between IRS and IIT Bombay underscores our shared commitment to leveraging technology and expertise to enhance maritime safety and response capabilities”.
“By combining resources and knowledge, the partnership aims to develop innovative solutions that will contribute to safety of ships and life at sea.”
The MOU comes in a year that has seen a number of onboard power failures, including the catastrophic Dali allision earlier in the year.
