A study by autonomous shipping startup Orca AI estimates that using AI for navigation could reduce the commercial shipping industry’s carbon emissions by 47 million tonnes annually by minimizing route deviations and unnecessary maneuvers, especially during close encounters with marine risks like other vessels, buoys, or sea mammals, providing real-time alerts to crews (ORCA AI, 2024). These efficiencies could cut shipping by 38.2 million nautical miles per year, saving about USD 100,000 in fuel costs per vessel, and also reduce close-call navigational events by 33%, boosting both safety and fuel efficiency.
