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Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships and MASS Code glossary

The autonomous-shipping vocabulary: the research programmes (AAWA and its roadmap), the assisted and remote maneuvering aids (Marine Pilot Control and Vision), the IMO degrees of autonomy, and the MASS Code and remote-operation-center terms. Grounds each term in the autonomy concept or the MASS Code framework it belongs to.

396 defined terms.

Showing 250 on this page (page 1 of 2).

A

AAWA
Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative, a Rolls-Royce-led research consortium that ran from 2015 to 2018 to advance commercial autonomous shipping concepts.
AAWA Roadmap
The 2016 technical white paper published by the AAWA project outlining a phased pathway from remote-controlled coastal vessels to unmanned ocean-going ships.
ABB Ability Marine Pilot Connect
An ABB shore connectivity layer linking onboard navigation systems to a remote operations center for monitoring and assistance.
ABB Ability Marine Pilot Control
An ABB onboard joystick and dynamic positioning aid that integrates sensor fusion with situational awareness to support assisted and remote vessel maneuvering.
ABB Ability Marine Pilot Vision
A situational awareness product from ABB Marine and Ports providing 3D augmented visualization of vessel surroundings to support navigation and docking decisions.
ABS Autonomous Vessel Guide
The American Bureau of Shipping guide that establishes requirements for autonomous and remote-control functions on classed vessels.
ABS Innovation Hub Singapore
An American Bureau of Shipping research and collaboration center focused on smart and autonomous shipping technologies in the Asia Pacific.
Acoustic Doppler current profiler
Hull mounted instrument used during wind farm site surveys to measure water column current profiles for vessel approach planning.
Action to Avoid Collision
COLREGs Rule 8 requirement that any maneuver taken to avoid collision be positive, made in ample time, and readily apparent, a core constraint for autonomous decision logic.
Active redundancy
Configuration where two or more units share load so that failure of one does not interrupt service.
Actuator Health Monitoring
Continuous diagnostic surveillance of steering, propulsion, and thruster actuators that an autonomy system uses to detect degradation before loss of control.
Advanced Driver Awareness System
A generic class of bridge alerting products that combine radar, AIS, and camera tracks to flag developing close-quarters situations.
AGMS
Avikus Group Marine Services, the marine services arm associated with Hyundai Heavy Industries subsidiary Avikus.
AI-ris
Sea Machines Robotics perception product line that uses computer vision and machine learning for marine object detection and classification.
AIS Class A
Mandatory transponder for SOLAS vessels broadcasting MMSI, position, course, speed.
AIS Class B
Lower-power transponder used by smaller, non-SOLAS craft.
Algorithmic Lookout
The autonomy software function that performs the COLREGs Rule 5 lookout duty through sensor fusion when no human is present on the bridge.
All Round Light
A navigation light visible through 360 degrees of horizon, required by COLREGs Annex I and verified by autonomous lighting checks before unmanned passage.
Alpha Test Phase
An early controlled trial stage for a MASS system, typically confined to a protected waterway with a chase boat and full manual override.
Annex I (COLREGs)
Positioning and technical details of lights and shapes.
Anti-Collision Radar
A marine radar configured with automatic radar plotting aid functions used as a primary obstacle detection sensor in MASS sensor stacks.
APIS
Autonomous Port Information System, the broad term for shore-side data exchanges that feed berth and traffic information to MASS systems.
ARPA
Automatic Radar Plotting Aid training course required for officers operating ARPA equipped radars under STCW Table A-II/1.
ASKO Maritime
The Norwegian logistics company operating the Therese and Marit autonomous electric container barges in the Oslofjord.
ASTM F3445
The ASTM International standard providing guidance for the design and operation of autonomous and remotely operated vessels.
ASV Global
A United Kingdom autonomous surface vessel developer acquired by L3 in 2018 and later integrated into BAE Systems Maritime.
ASView
The autonomy control software developed by ASV Global for tasking and supervising unmanned surface vehicles.
Asynchronous Telemetry
A communications mode in which sensor or status messages are transmitted on event rather than at fixed intervals, often used over Iridium backhaul.
Autodock
A class of automated berthing functions, exemplified by Wartsila SmartDock and Kongsberg Autodocking, that bring a ship alongside under autonomy supervision.
AUTOMOST
A European collaborative project investigating autonomous ship modules and onboard systems for short sea shipping.
Autonomous Bollard Pull Test
A workboat trial procedure adapted to validate autonomous tug control through measured pull cycles without a helmsman.
Autonomous Coastal Vessel
A general category of MASS designed for short sea operation within national waters, exemplified by the Yara Birkeland.
Autonomous Collision Avoidance Module
The software subsystem that executes Rule 8 maneuvers based on the fused situational picture and the host vessel kinematics.
Autonomous Ferry
Trial passenger vessel with high autonomy degree.
Autonomous Mooring Line Handling
Shore-side or ship-side automation of mooring operations that complements unmanned bridge operation in port.
Autonomous Tug
A harbor tug equipped to operate with reduced or no onboard crew, demonstrated in the Singapore JR Tug trials and by Sea Machines deployments.
Autonomous Vessel Notation
A class society designation indicating that a ship has been built and equipped to a published autonomy standard.
Autonomy Stack
The layered software architecture of perception, situational awareness, decision, and control modules that together implement autonomous vessel behavior.
Autoroute Planning
The MASS function that generates a passage plan compliant with SOLAS V/34 from departure to arrival including waypoints, speeds, and contingency tracks.
AUTOSHIP
An EU Horizon 2020 project that designed and demonstrated next generation autonomous ships for short sea and inland waterway operation.
Availability Class
A reliability category used in class society autonomy rules expressing how much of the time the autonomy system is required to be operable.
Avikus
A Hyundai Heavy Industries subsidiary developing autonomous navigation products including the HiNAS family.
Avoidance Maneuver
A discrete course or speed change generated by the autonomy stack to satisfy the COLREGs action to avoid collision requirement.
Azimuth Thruster Control
The low level command interface through which the autonomy stack actuates 360 degree thrusters such as the rotor azimuth fitted on the Yara Birkeland.

B

Backup Control Mode
A degraded autonomy state in which a remote operator assumes manual control over a redundant link when primary autonomy is unavailable.
BAE Systems ASV
The autonomous surface vessel business unit formed after BAE Systems' 2018 acquisition of ASV Global.
Bandwidth Budget
The allocation of available satellite or cellular throughput across telemetry, control, video, and software update channels on a MASS link.
Bayesian Filtering
A probabilistic estimation technique used in marine target tracking that combines radar, AIS, and visual measurements over time.
Beam Forming Array
An antenna or sonar configuration that focuses energy in a chosen direction, used in some MASS communications and acoustic sensors.
Bearing Only Tracking
A target tracking technique used when range is uncertain, common for camera-only detections in autonomous lookout systems.
BeiDou
The Chinese global navigation satellite system, used as one of the constellations in a multi-GNSS receiver on autonomous vessels.
Beta Test Phase
A MASS trial stage following alpha tests where the system is exercised in representative traffic with reduced safety crew.
Birkeland Operation
The Brevik to Larvik short sea container service performed by the Yara Birkeland in southern Norway.
Black box recorder
Reefer event memory storing setpoint, supply, return, and alarm history.
Bollard Detection
A computer vision task for identifying mooring fittings on a quay during automated berthing.
Bourbon Orca
An offshore support vessel of the Bourbon fleet used in early studies of unattended bridge concepts with Ulstein.
Bourbon Phocas
A sister offshore vessel involved in similar unattended bridge experimentation.
Bow Camera
A forward facing camera mounted near the bow of an autonomous vessel for close range obstacle confirmation.
Bow Thruster Telemetry
Status reporting from the bow thruster used by the autonomy stack to validate that low speed maneuvering capacity is available.
Brevik
The Norwegian port where the Yara Birkeland loads urea fertilizer for its autonomous coastal voyages.
Bridge Equipment SOLAS V/15
The SOLAS regulation governing bridge design and equipment layout, relevant when redesigning bridges for unmanned operation.
Bridge Visibility SOLAS V/22
The SOLAS regulation prescribing minimum bridge visibility, with implications when removing or relocating the wheelhouse on a MASS.
Bulk Data Offload
The post-voyage transfer of large autonomy log files from ship to shore for analysis and model improvement.
Bulkhead Penetration Standard
The naval architecture rule for routing the additional cabling required by a MASS sensor and compute network between watertight compartments.
BV NR 663
The Bureau Veritas guidance note titled Guidelines for Smart Ship and Smart Yacht covering autonomous and digital functions.

C

C-Worker 12
The largest workboat-class member of the C-Worker family with multi-day endurance.
C-Worker 6
Six meter USV in the L3Harris C-Worker family with greater payload capacity for offshore positioning support.
C-Worker 7
Seven meter ASV Global USV designed for persistent offshore survey and positioning duties.
C-Worker 8
An ASV Global vessel sized for offshore positioning and inspection roles.
CAN Bus
A controller area network commonly used as a low level bus between onboard sensors and actuators in smaller autonomous craft.
Cargotec
The Finnish parent corporation of Kalmar, Hiab, and formerly MacGregor, supplying cargo handling equipment to ports and shipyards.
Causal Reasoning Module
An autonomy component that ties detected events to their likely cause to support explainable maneuver decisions.
CCTV Integration
The use of closed circuit television feeds as input to onboard perception and as situational awareness for remote operators.
Cellular 4G LTE
The mobile broadband technology used as a coastal data link for MASS, often as the primary path within harbor and near shore zones.
Cellular 5G
The newer mobile broadband generation offering higher throughput and lower latency for near shore MASS communications.
Cepton LiDAR
A solid state LiDAR product family with marine hardened variants used in some MASS perception stacks.
Certus
Iridium broadband service delivered over the Iridium NEXT constellation in L-band.
Chart Overlay Engine
The software layer that registers autonomy plans on an Electronic Navigational Chart for operator review.
ClassNK Guidelines for Autonomous Ships
The Nippon Kaiji Kyokai guidance setting expectations for design, operation, and approval of autonomous vessels.
Closed Loop Test
A simulation method in which the autonomy code reacts to a simulated environment in real time to validate behavior before sea trials.
Closest Point of Approach
The radar plotting aid output indicating minimum predicted range to a target, used by autonomy collision avoidance logic.
CNN
A convolutional neural network architecture commonly applied to marine vessel detection in MASS computer vision pipelines.
Coastal Trial Area
A designated stretch of coastal water authorized by a national maritime authority for MASS testing.
Cog
Single-masted Hanseatic League cargo carrier of the high medieval Baltic and North Sea.
COLREGs
Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972; the IMO rules of the road governing lights, shapes, sound signals, and collision avoidance.
COLREGs Rule 13
The overtaking rule which assigns the give way duty to the overtaking vessel including MASS overtaking encounters.
COLREGs Rule 14
The head on situation rule directing each power driven vessel to alter to starboard.
COLREGs Rule 15
The crossing situation rule that defines the give way vessel by the position of the other on her own starboard side.
COLREGs Rule 16
The action by give way vessel rule requiring early and substantial action.
COLREGs Rule 17
Stand-on vessel obligations relevant when SAR units maneuver among traffic.
COLREGs Rule 5
The lookout rule requiring maintenance of a proper lookout by sight, hearing, and all available means, fulfilled algorithmically on MASS.
COLREGs Rule 6
The safe speed rule that constrains MASS speed planning given visibility, traffic density, and maneuverability.
COLREGs Rule 7
The risk of collision rule that obliges use of all available means including radar, satisfied on MASS by sensor fusion.
COLREGs Rule 8
The action to avoid collision rule that disciplines the magnitude and timing of autonomous maneuvers.
Compute Redundancy
The provision of more than one computing node for the autonomy stack so that failure of one does not stop the ship.
Computer Vision Pipeline
The chain of image acquisition, preprocessing, detection, and tracking that turns camera frames into tracked marine targets.
Concept of Operations
The structured description of how a specific MASS will be operated including roles, links, and contingencies, required by most flag states for trials.
Conning Display
Bridge display aggregating navigation data, often part of IBS.
Containerized Autonomy
The packaging of perception and decision software as containerized services to support deployment and updates on shipboard compute.
Continuous Lookout
The requirement for a constantly maintained watch that MASS designs must replicate around the clock.
Control Loop
The feedback structure that compares commanded and measured states of heading, speed, or position to drive actuators.
Controller Failover
An automated transition from a failed autonomy controller to a healthy backup within a defined time budget.
Convergent Trial Plan
A trial design that combines simulation, hardware in the loop testing, and at sea trials to build the safety case for a MASS.
Cooperative Maneuvering
An emerging capability for MASS to exchange intent with other vessels through digital messages to coordinate passing.
Cross Track Error
The lateral distance from the planned track used by the autopilot and autonomy guidance to keep the vessel on route.
Cyber AL Notation
The Lloyd's Register cyber assurance level notation, including Cyber AL5, applied to MASS to recognize advanced cyber resilience.
Cyber Physical Safety Case
A safety case explicitly addressing the interaction of software, network, and physical subsystems on an autonomous ship.

D

DARPA Sea Hunter
The 132 foot medium displacement unmanned surface vessel demonstrator developed under the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency anti-submarine warfare program.
Data Logging Standard
A specification defining which autonomy variables must be recorded and retained, supporting class survey and incident review.
Decision Support System
A Degree 1 MASS aid that provides recommendations to seafarers without taking control of the ship.
Decision Tree Logic
A structured set of rules used in early collision avoidance modules to encode COLREGs application.
Deep Learning Perception
The use of deep neural networks for vessel and obstacle detection in MASS perception stacks.
Degree 1 MASS
Ship with automated processes and decision support where seafarers are on board to operate and control shipboard systems.
Degree 2 MASS
Remotely controlled ship with seafarers on board, able to take control and operate shipboard systems.
Degree 3 MASS
Remotely controlled ship without seafarers on board.
Degree 4 MASS
Fully autonomous ship that determines and executes actions by itself.
Demonstration Voyage
A planned trial passage performed under controlled conditions to demonstrate a MASS capability to regulators and stakeholders.
Deterministic Network
A network design with bounded latency and jitter used inside MASS control architectures to meet hard real time requirements.
Differential GNSS
Augmented satellite positioning that improves accuracy using local corrections, often used for automated docking.
Digital Tug
A harbor tug equipped with digital sensing and connectivity that may be operated under remote or autonomous control.
Digital Twin
Software model of a physical asset such as a Triple-E class container ship used for performance and predictive maintenance.
Dijkstra Algorithm
A classical shortest path algorithm used for global route planning in marine autonomy.
DIMECC
The Finnish innovation cluster that hosts the One Sea ecosystem driving collaborative MASS development.
Direction Finding Antenna
A radio system used in some unmanned surface vessels to locate distress beacons during search and rescue support.
Distributed Compute Architecture
A MASS design pattern that splits perception, planning, and control across multiple cooperating compute nodes.
DNV Autonomous Notation
The class notation framework from DNV addressing autonomous and remote operations on classed vessels.
DP2
Dynamic positioning class tolerant to any single fault excluding loss of compartment.
Drone Mothership
A larger vessel configured to launch and recover smaller unmanned craft, an emerging operational concept in defense and survey.
Dual Fuel Propulsion
A propulsion arrangement found on some Avikus enabled vessels such as the LNG carrier on the Stella Maris voyage.
Dynamic Window Approach
A local motion planning algorithm that searches over admissible velocities in a short time window, used in marine autonomy.

E

Echo sounder
Acoustic depth sensor.
Edge Compute
Onboard processing close to sensors that performs perception and control without relying on shore connectivity.
Electric Propulsion Module
A propulsion package such as those fitted to the Yara Birkeland that supports clean and quiet operation of an autonomous coastal ship.
Electrical Redundancy
A power distribution design that ensures continued operation of autonomy and propulsion under single failure conditions.
Electronic Chart Display
An ECDIS class system that provides the chart layer for both onboard autonomy and remote operations centers.
Emergency Stop Function
A safety command that brings the propulsion and steering to a defined safe state, accessible to remote operators and onboard responders.
Encryption in Transit
Protection of data moving over networks using cryptography such as TLS or IPsec.
Encryption-At-Rest
Protection of stored ship/port data.
Endurance Test
A trial that exercises a MASS over multiple days to validate thermal, power, and software stability.
ENMACOMVE
A European project investigating concepts for enhanced maritime communications and vessel autonomy.
Environmental Compliance Module
A software subsystem that ensures autonomous voyages respect environmental zones such as MARPOL ECAs and PSSAs.
Ericsson
A Swedish telecommunications vendor and One Sea ecosystem member supplying maritime connectivity solutions.
ETA Recalculation
An autonomy function that updates the estimated time of arrival in light of weather, traffic, and engine state.
Ethernet Switch Redundancy
The use of dual switches to maintain network availability across the autonomy backbone.
Event Driven Logging
A logging discipline that records significant autonomy events at high fidelity while reducing storage at quiescent times.

F

Fail Safe Trajectory
A precomputed maneuver such as stop in place or proceed to a safe holding pattern that the autonomy executes on critical fault.
Failover Time Budget
The maximum permissible duration for switching from a failed autonomy component to a backup, defined in the safety case.
False Alarm Rate
A perception system metric tracking spurious target reports, with a low value required to avoid unnecessary autonomous maneuvers.
Faster R-CNN
A two stage object detection neural network family used in maritime computer vision research and applied work.
Fault tree analysis
Top-down deductive technique mapping how a casualty could occur from contributing failures.
FernSteuern
A German term meaning remote control sometimes used in MASS literature to describe shore controlled operations.
Field of View
The angular coverage of a sensor such as a camera or LiDAR, a key parameter in designing autonomous perception coverage.
Finnish Trial Area Jaakonmeri
A Gulf of Bothnia area designated by Finnish authorities for autonomous vessel testing.
Five Degrees of Freedom Model
A simplified ship motion model used in some autonomy controllers that excludes one rotational mode for tractability.
Flag State Approval
Authorization required by IMO MSC.1/Circ.1406 before PCASP may embark.
FLIR M Series
A family of thermal infrared marine cameras commonly used as a low light situational awareness sensor on MASS.
Fly By Wire Steering
A steering system in which the wheel position commands the actuator through electronic intermediaries, a prerequisite for autonomy integration.
FMEA
Failure modes and effects analysis; mandatory for DP2/DP3 vessels.
FMECA
Failure Mode, Effects and Criticality Analysis, used for both design assessment and post-casualty study.
Forward Looking Sonar
A sonar oriented along the vessel heading to detect submerged obstacles in advance of the bow.
FP7
The European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme for Research that funded the MUNIN project among others.
Frame Rate
The number of images per second produced by a camera, a key parameter in tuning perception latency on MASS.
Furuno Halo
A solid state pulse compression radar family used in some autonomous and assisted navigation installations.

G

Galileo
EU GNSS constellation.
Geofence
A virtual boundary that constrains where an autonomous vessel is permitted to operate, often enforced in trial areas.
Geometric Dilution of Precision
A GNSS quality metric tracked by autonomy software to detect periods of degraded positioning.
Give-way vessel
Vessel required to keep out of the way under the collision regulations.
Global Path Planner
The autonomy module that produces a long range route from origin to destination respecting traffic separation schemes and depth.
GLONASS
Russian GNSS constellation.
GNSS Receiver
A satellite navigation receiver that combines signals from GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou to provide position and time to MASS.
GPS L1
The legacy single frequency GPS service still used by many maritime receivers and as a fallback for autonomy positioning.
GPS L5
A modernized GPS frequency used by newer MASS receivers for improved performance.
Ground Truth Dataset
An annotated set of marine imagery or sensor logs used to train and evaluate MASS perception models.
Guidance Control Navigation
The classical control engineering decomposition of vessel autonomy into guidance, control, and navigation functions.

H

Halo Radar
The Simrad branded pulse compression solid state radar product line used in commercial and autonomous installations.
Hardware In The Loop
A test method in which production autonomy hardware drives a simulated vessel and environment for verification.
Hazard Identification Workshop
A structured group activity used early in MASS development to enumerate hazards for the safety case.
Head On Situation
The COLREGs scenario in which two power driven vessels approach on reciprocal courses, addressed by Rule 14.
Heading Hold
An autopilot mode maintaining a commanded compass heading, exposed to the autonomy planner as a low level service.
HF Backup
The use of high frequency radio as a fallback communications path for MASS when satellite and cellular links are unavailable.
HiNAS
Hyundai Intelligent Navigation Assistant, the Avikus autonomous navigation product line for large commercial vessels.
HiNAS 2.0
The second generation Avikus autonomous navigation system used for the Stella Maris transatlantic demonstration.
Holding Pattern
A precomputed loiter trajectory used as a fail safe option when the autonomy detects a fault that prevents continued voyage.
Hostile Cyber Event
A category in the MASS cyber threat model addressing intentional attacks on autonomy software or links.
HSE Risk Register
The health, safety, and environment risk record maintained for a MASS trial program.
Hull Form Optimization
A naval architecture activity that adapts a hull for autonomous operation, often informed by trial data from prior MASS demonstrators.
Human Override Switch
A physical or software control that returns a MASS from autonomy to manual operation.
Hybrid Power Plant
A combination of diesel generation and battery storage common in autonomous coastal vessels including the Yara Birkeland.
Hyundai Heavy Industries
HHI, Ulsan, world's largest shipbuilder by output.
Hyundai Mipo Dockyard
HHI group yard specializing in medium range tankers.

I

IBM Mayflower
The autonomous research vessel built by ProMare in partnership with IBM that completed a transatlantic crossing in 2022 without crew.
IEC 61162
Digital interface standard for marine electronics (NMEA 0183 family).
IEC 62443
Industrial automation security standard, applied in OT shipboard networks.
IEC 63298
The IEC standard addressing maritime autonomous systems and supporting interoperability.
IMO MASS Code
Code for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships expected for adoption in May 2026.
IMO MASS Roadmap
The pathway approved at MSC 105 in April 2022 targeting a non mandatory MASS Code by 2024 and a mandatory MASS Code by 2028.
IMO MASS Working Group
The working group established under the Maritime Safety Committee to develop the MASS Code.
IMU
Inertial measurement unit for motion sensing on DP and survey.
Incident Replay
The use of recorded autonomy logs to reconstruct a past event in support of investigation and safety case updates.
Inland Waterway MASS
A MASS configured for rivers and canals such as the Roboat platform tested in Amsterdam.
Inmarsat
Satellite communications provider for GMDSS and commercial services.
Innoviz LiDAR
A solid state LiDAR product family with marinized variants used in some MASS perception stacks.
Integrity Monitor
A subsystem that monitors the correctness of GNSS or sensor data and alerts the autonomy stack to faults.
Intent Sharing
The voluntary digital transmission of planned maneuvers between vessels to coordinate passing in confined waters.
Interface Control Document
The engineering document defining signals and protocols between MASS subsystems.
Internal Network Segmentation
A cyber security practice separating navigation, autonomy, and entertainment networks on a MASS.
Iridium
American satellite operator running a 66-satellite low Earth orbit constellation providing global coverage including the poles.
Iridium Certus
L-band satellite broadband service (GMDSS-recognized 2020).

J

Jaakonmeri Test Area
The Finnish autonomous shipping test area in the Gulf of Bothnia designated for MASS trials.
Japan METI
The Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the agency that sponsors autonomous vessel demonstration projects such as MEGURI 2040.
Jeju Trial Area
A Korean autonomous vessel test area in the waters around Jeju Island.
Jitter Budget
The acceptable variability in latency for a MASS control link, a key parameter in remote operations.
JR Tug Trials
The Singapore harbor tug autonomy trials supported by the Maritime and Port Authority and industry partners.

K

K-MATE
Kongsberg Maritime Autonomous Technology, the Kongsberg autonomy product line for surface vessels.
Ka Band VSAT
A primary satellite communications option for MASS offering high throughput in coastal and ocean operations.
Keep Out Zone
An autonomy planning region that the route generator must avoid, used to express marine protected areas or hazardous zones.
Kingston Valve Monitoring
Telemetry from the seawater intake valves that the autonomy stack uses to confirm cooling availability.
KOGNIFAI
A Kongsberg digital ecosystem and platform that hosts maritime applications including autonomy services.
Kongsberg Autodocking
A Kongsberg automated berthing system used in trials of automated docking on commercial vessels.
Korean Register
KR, Korean classification society and IACS member, founded 1960.
Korean Register Autonomous Ship Notation
The class notation issued by Korean Register for vessels meeting its autonomy requirements.
Ku Band VSAT
A satellite communications option for MASS used alongside or as alternative to Ka band based on coverage and cost.

L

L3Harris ASView
The autonomy software suite associated with the ASV Global lineage after acquisition by L3 and successor entities.
Land Based Bridge
A shore facility from which a remote operator monitors and, when required, controls a MASS at sea.
Land Based Pilot
A pilotage concept in which a pilot guides a vessel into port from a shore center using onboard sensors and links.
Larvik
Norwegian Vestfold port hosting Color Line SuperSpeed services to Hirtshals.
Latency Compensation
A control technique that accounts for round trip delay in remote operations to maintain stable command response.
Lidar Marine Hardened
A LiDAR sensor designed to operate in marine spray, vibration, and temperature ranges, used on autonomous workboats and USVs.
Lightweight Autonomy Stack
A reduced footprint autonomy software design suitable for smaller USVs or constrained compute platforms.
Liquid Robotics Wave Glider
An ocean going wave and solar propelled unmanned surface vessel platform used for persistent maritime surveillance.
Lloyd's Register Cyber AL5
The highest cyber assurance level under the Lloyd's Register ShipRight cyber notation, applicable to advanced MASS.
LNG Carrier Autonomy
The integration of autonomous navigation aids on liquefied natural gas carriers, exemplified by the Avikus enabled transatlantic voyage.
Local Path Planner
The autonomy module that generates short range maneuvers to follow the global plan while avoiding immediate obstacles.
Lookout Algorithm
A software implementation of the COLREGs Rule 5 lookout duty combining inputs from radar, AIS, cameras, and audio sensors.
Low Light Camera
A camera with high sensitivity used to maintain visual situational awareness at night for MASS perception stacks.
LUSV
The United States Navy Large Unmanned Surface Vessel program for high endurance ocean-going USVs.

M

MAdfox
The Royal Navy NavyX rapid prototype unmanned surface vessel used for autonomy and payload trials.
Maersk Nellie Bly
A workboat used in a Sea Machines Robotics SM300 autonomy demonstration with Maersk Towage Services in the United States.
Manila Amendments
2010 revisions to the STCW Convention and Code entering into force 1 January 2012.
Marine S Band Radar
The S band marine radar used for longer range and improved performance in heavy weather, used on MASS for sensor diversity.
Marine X Band Radar
The traditional X band marine radar used widely for short and medium range detection on commercial vessels and MASS.
Mariner USV
A vessel of the United States Navy Overlord USV program demonstrating long endurance unmanned operation.
Marit
A sister ASKO Maritime autonomous electric container barge operating in the Oslofjord.
Maritime UK Code of Practice
The Maritime UK Code of Practice for the Design Construction and Safe Operation of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships up to 24 m in length, with Issue 4 published in 2024.
MASRWG
The United Kingdom Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships Regulatory Working Group that coordinates national MASS regulation.
Mass Definition
The IMO four degree taxonomy of MASS adopted to structure regulatory work on autonomous shipping.
MASSPORT Sandbox
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore regulatory sandbox for MASS trials in Singapore waters.