ONE SEA welcomes COSCO Shipping Technology as first China member

China’s software developer COSCO Shipping Technology has become the latest company to join One Sea, as the international autonomous shipping association continues to expand its geographical footprint following a period of significant growth in 2023.

COSCO Shipping Technology, a subsidiary of COSCO Shipping Group, one of the largest shipping and logistics companies in the world, is the sixth company to join One Sea this year.

Bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience in the development of autonomous shipping technologies, COSCO Shipping Technologies is also the first association member from China.

With a strong track record in maritime innovation, COSCO Shipping Technology has developed several technologies that support autonomous operations onboard. These include a behavior perception system that aims to reduce navigational errors and a situational awareness system that is expected to be deployed on ten vessels by the end of this year.

“We are delighted to welcome COSCO Shipping Technology to the One Sea Association. Over the last 12-months, One Sea has continued to grow and as an international association, representation from across the global shipping sector has been key to providing a comprehensive industry perspective to our work related to rule and technology development throughout the maritime transport chain,” Sinikka Hartonen, One Sea Secretary General, commented.

“At COSCO Shipping Technology, our mission is to push the boundaries of maritime technology and develop solutions that have the power to enhance safety, sustainability and efficiency,” Liu Jun, COSCO Shipping Technology Head of AI Applications, said.

“At a time when autonomous shipping technology continues to develop at pace, international collaboration is essential and One Sea provides an established platform for stakeholders to come together to address industry challenges and contribute to the development of international regulations for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). We are very pleased to be part of the One Sea Association and look forward to working with One Sea and its members.”

Last month, MAHI, a spin-off of Project Mahi, also joined One Sea, bringing further expertise to the growing association whose mission is to advance understanding of maritime autonomous surface ships.

Earlier this year, One Sea partnered up with the European Space Agency (ESA) to promote the development of new space-enabled services that will support the maritime sector’s transition towards autonomous shipping.

The partnership will combine One Sea’s knowledge in the maritime sector and in autonomous shipping with ESA’s technical competence and mandate through the Business Applications and Space Solutions program to support the development and demonstration of space solutions in addressing user needs.