American Steamship Company and Wärtsilä are breaking new ground with a hands-off, self-driving, self-docking navigation system installed on a 42 year old traditional lake freighter. According to Wärtsilä, the 24,300 gross tonnage American Courage is the largest ship ever to perform automatic dock-to-dock operation and is equipped with its SmartMove Suite, a unique pairing of sensor tech with navigation systems for semi-autonomous movement. The Great Lakes self-discharging vessel is 194 metres long and operates on Ohio’s winding Cuyahoga River. This waterway can be very congested, and Wärtsilä says that it is easily the most challenging route for any vessel using automated sailing and docking technology today.
