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Orca AI, SHI partner to scale autonomous shipping

Orca AI and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop and scale autonomous vessel technologies, targeting wider commercial deployment across global fleets.

The collaboration will integrate SHI’s autonomous systems, including its SVISION berthing assistance and speed optimisation technologies, with Orca AI’s AI-driven operations platform.

The combined offering is expected to support enhanced navigation, improved fuel efficiency and greater operational visibility.

The partnership will extend across both retrofit and newbuild markets. Orca AI’s platform, currently deployed on over 1,200 vessels, will incorporate SHI’s onboard technologies, while SHI will embed Orca AI’s capabilities into vessels equipped with its Samsung Autonomous Ship (SAS) solution.

Joint development efforts will focus on real-time decision support, adaptive navigation and performance optimisation, leveraging operational data to refine autonomous functions.

READ: Orca AI joins GCC to boost fleet safety across 22 vessels

Yarden Gross, CEO and Co-founder of Orca AI, said: “Bringing together SHI’s deep expertise in vessel design and integration with our AI-driven situational awareness platform creates a practical path to scaling autonomous capabilities – from newbuild vessels to existing fleets. This partnership enables both companies to accelerate innovation and deliver tangible value to the industry.”

Hyun Joe Kim, Head of Research Institute at Samsung Heavy Industries, stated: “We are excited to collaborate with Orca AI, a leading maritime AI company that has demonstrated its ability to deliver production-grade AI and autonomous capabilities.

“Enhancing our business portfolio and advancing technologies through AI-based autonomous navigation is a key competitive factor for the future of the shipbuilding industry. Through this collaboration, we will actively pursue technological leadership by internalising differentiated autonomous navigation technologies and expanding our platform strategy.”

In March, the Orca AI platform achieved official Technology Qualification from ClassNK, the Japanese classification society, confirming that its real-time AI and computer vision met the performance requirements for autonomous navigation.