The maritime industry is once again reeling from a high-profile collision, this time involving the MV Stena Immaculate and the feeder containership MV Solong off Grimsby. This incident is just the latest in a string of collisions that have left the industry scratching its head, wondering why such events continue to occur with such alarming frequency. While the investigation is ongoing, one thing is clear: human error is the leading cause of maritime collisions. It’s high time the industry takes a page from the aviation playbook and adopts a system akin to TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System), which has virtually eliminated mid-air collisions.
Capt. Jørgen Grindevoll, Founder and CEO of maritime technology company SafeNav, puts it bluntly: “So why doesn’t the maritime industry have its own version of TCAS?” The answer, he argues, lies in the industry’s over-reliance on fragmented data and the lack of an integrated decision-making platform. For years, the maritime industry has been investing in better sensors—advanced radars, AIS, ECDIS, LIDAR, and high-resolution computer vision—but these tools only provide piecemeal information. What’s needed is a system that integrates all this data into a single, unified platform to support navigators in real-time.
Aircraft, operating in three-dimensional space, have the luxury of climbing or descending to avoid collisions. Ships, on the other hand, often navigate in congested waters and poor weather conditions with limited manoeuvrability. Yet, navigators still rely solely on warnings and their own judgment, lacking an integrated decision-support tool. This is precisely the gap that SafeNav aims to fill. “It’s not about replacing crews – it’s about giving navigators the tools they need,” Grindevoll emphasizes.
SafeNav is a digital/AI-driven co-pilot and decision-support system that provides real-time, actionable guidance to the bridge. Unlike standalone hardware-dependent solutions, SafeNav is a software module that integrates seamlessly with existing navigation and situational-awareness systems. This means shipowners don’t need to invest in yet more expensive hardware. The system offers full COLREGS compliance, aggregating and fusing data from multiple sources in real-time to provide explicit course-change recommendations. It’s designed to work with human decision-makers, allowing navigators to retain full control while making informed decisions based on digitally driven support.
The system is ahead of the IMO MASS Level 1 regulations, set to release full guidance in 2028. There’s growing concern in the industry over alarm fatigue among vessel crews and the tendency to switch off or mute alarms. This may be acceptable for non-critical systems, but critical collision-avoidance guidance must always be 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.
SafeNav is on course to set a new industry standard, already in the process of obtaining approval in principle (AiP) from class society DNV. 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, especially those in high-regulation sectors like oil, gas, and chemical transport, are under pressure to enhance safety protocols. SafeNav offers a scalable, cost-effective solution that allows fleet operators to meet safety expectations without multi-million-dollar overhauls.
The recent incident off Grimsby is just the latest in a long list of preventable collisions. 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 a yearly basis. The economic and environmental costs of these incidents are staggering, 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. The question now is: Will investors, regulators, and shipowners wait for another high-profile disaster to act, or will they embrace the future of maritime safety today? The time to act is now, and the technology is ready. The maritime industry must decide whether it will lead
