First Harvest Navigation Selects Sea Machines to Launch U.S.’ Inaugural Autonomous Hybrid Cargo Vessel
Collaboration will Increase Supply Chain Performance While Reducing Roadway Congestion (Norwalk, CT; October 26, 2020) – Norwalk-based First Harvest Navigation, a marine transportation company that connects family farms to urban and suburban neighborhoods, has selected Boston-based Sea Machines’technology to launch the first autonomous hybrid cargo vessel in the U.S. Powered by Sea Machines’ SM300 autonomous command and remote-helm control system, the U.S.- built, electric-powered Captain Ben Moore will also be the first hybrid cargo vessel to feature remote crew-assist technology and to generate zero emissions. Installation of Sea Machines’ SM300 aboard the Captain Ben Moore, a 63’ x 21.3’ aluminum catamaran, will take place in November 2020. Once complete, vessel’s intelligent capabilities will offer First Harvest Navigation redundancy and flexibility for crew shifts, with the capability to autonomously command Captain Ben Moore from the company’s land-based control station. In addition to autonomous control and remote vessel monitoring tools, the SM300 system also features obstacle detection and collision avoidance technology for added operational safety. Captain Ben Moore will enter service between Norwalk and Huntington, NY, to deliver food and other cargo faster, more reliably and more affordably than truck transportation to East Norwalk’s Harbor Harvest food market, while also reducing regional highway congestion. Comparable trucking