Paper Title
Autonomous Control of Tugboats and Barges; Unique Challenges and Opportunities
Abstract
Significant developments in autonomous and self-steering vehicle technology have already begun to spread into
the maritime sector, with the first autonomous commercial cargo ship being expected to launch later this year. This paper
presents an outline for what may be the next application in the marine sector, autonomous control of tugboats and barges and
discusses similarities and differences compared to vehicular and shipboard self-driving systems. A plan for implementation
is presented, along with opportunities that may arise in the future.
Keywords - Autonomous ships, self-driving vessels, tugboats, barges, self-steering