Jou nal o Physics:
Con e ence Se ies
PAPER • OPEN ACCESS
A Mission Exchange Model (MEZ) o Au onomous
Inland Wa e way Na iga ion
To ci e his a icle: Ma ianne Hagase h
e al
2025
J. Phys.: Con . Se .
3123 012012
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1
A Mission Exchange Model (MEZ) o Au onomous
Inland Wa e way Na iga ion
Ma ianne Hagase h1*, Hå a d No dahl1, La s And eas Lien Wenne sbe g1,
Hans-Ch is oph Bu meis e 2, and Øy ind Pede sen3
1 Ma i ime ICT a nd Cybe ne ics G oup, Ene gy and T anspo Depa men , SINTEF Ocean,
T ondheim, No way
2 F au nho e CML, Hambu g, Ge ma ny
3 Ma i ime Robo ics, T ondheim, No way
*E-mail: Ma ianne.Hagase h @sin e .no
Abs ac . E en i au onomous essels can ope a e independen ly o a pe son
moni o ing o con olling i on some pa s o he oyage, a Remo e Ope a ion
Cen e (ROC) is s ill needed. The ROC ope a o will be esponsible o planning he
oyage and o ollow up on i s ope a ion. Also, he ROC ope a o will be
esponsible o handling hose si ua ions whe e human in e en ions a e needed,
ei he un o eseen si ua ions, in e ac ions wi h c ewed essels, o planned
in e ac ion wi h o he ope a ion cen es, e.g., o b idges and locks. Fo an
au onomous essel o na iga e on inland wa e ways (IWW), a clea desc ip ion o
he ope a ions mus be p o ided o he onboa d Au onomous Na iga ion Sys em
(ANS) by he ROC ope a o . Fu he , he desc ip ion o he mission mus be sen
om he ROC o he essel and be handled by he ANS onboa d o conduc he
sailing om he depa u e o he a i al be h, including lock- and b idge passing.
In his pape , we desc ibe he equi emen s o a Mission Exchange Model (MEZ),
in es iga e exis ing and ele an s anda ds ha co e mission da a, and p opose a
o ma o such missions o be sen om he ROC o he ANS. We wil l also desc ibe
how he planning o he mission can be pe o med in he ROC, and we will p esen
a es un wi h an au onomous sea d one ha was pe o med in T ondheim,
No way, in 2025, o show case he usage o some pa s o his MEZ.
1. In oduc ion
Humans will be in ol ed in he ope a ion o au onomous essels o he o eseeable u u e,
i espec i e o whe he he au onomous essel is capable o na iga ing inland wa e ways (IWW)
wi hou con inuous human supe ision o ce ain pa s o he oyage. The es ablished p inciple
o au onomous na iga ion, somewha simpli ied, is ha a) he Si ua ion Awa eness Sys em (SAS)
p o ides he Au onomous Na iga ion Sys em (ANS) wi h he equi ed in o ma ion o pe o m
na iga ion, such as posi ioning, a ic and o he objec s, b) o na iga e au onomously, he ANS
mus de e mine i he ac ions i cu en ly execu es, such as docking o ansi , can commence as
planned, o i co ec i e ac ions such as speed and cou se changes a e equi ed, and c ) ha he
ope a o in e enes i deemed necessa y o eques ed by he ANS, o o he wise moni o he
ope a ion, Figu e 1. This p inciple eme ged e y ea ly in au onomous essel de elopmen [1], and
is e lec ed in he ongoing IMO MASS Code de elopmen and in e na ional s anda diza ion [2], as
well as wi hin he i s comme cial IWW applica ions.
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Al hough he au onomous na iga ion sys em should be c apable o making decision on i s
own, i canno de e mine i s own pu pose, ha is, wha i is supposed o do. Thus, i alls upon
humans o ell he au onomous essel wha i is supposed o do, when i is supposed o do i ,
whe e i is supposed o be a gi en imes, and wha na iga ional cons ain s i mus conside . This
is he mission, and ha is assigned o he au onomous essel by a emo e ope a o ha esides in
ROC , be o e lea ing he depa u e po .
Figu e 1. En i onmen o IWW Missio n Pla nning and Execu ion
The emainde o he pape is s uc u ed as ollows. Sec ion 2 will gi e backg ound and
con ex o he wo k, and an o e iew o he IWW essel ope a ion. Sec ion 3 desc ibes he
me hodology we applied o c ea e he mission exchange model. Sec ion 4 p esen s he MEZ whils
esul s om a scaled-demo o pa s o he MEZ is p esen ed in Sec ion 5. We d aw conclusions in
Sec ion 6 and explain wha u he wo k a e ele an .
2. Backg ound and Con ex
2.1. Rela ed Wo k on Rou e Planning and Au onomous Na iga ion
In manned ma i ime anspo , one co e ask o na iga ion is oyage planning, which se es as
he backbone o sa e na iga ion. Voyage planning is linked o SOLAS Regula ion 34 [3], wi h IMO
Resolu ion A.893(21) gi ing guidelines on how o execu e his ask [4]. The plan i sel ypically
consis s o amongs o he s: Plo ing o he in ended ou e, sa e speed, necessa y speed al e a ions,
minimum clea ances, and cou se al e a ion poin s. Since 2015, his is elec onically suppo ed by
a ou e plan exchange o ma , which is called RTZ, and s anda dized by CIRM [5], and also
s anda dized in IEC 61174:2015, Edi ion 4 [6]. This was es ed o essel-sho e in e ac ion
capabili ies by he STM p ojec [7]. An ex ended e sion o RTZ , named S-421 and de eloped by
IEC as IEC63173-1:2021 [8] is added o he IHO S -100 amewo k o s anda ds. Also, du ing he
ISTS-p ojec , a con e e om he RTZ- o ma o he S-421 o ma was implemen ed [9]. Rou es
in RTZ and S-421- o ma s a e desc ibed by geog aphical waypoin s, allowed c oss ack e o s,
schedules, and op ionally by a simple u ning adius be ween legs. On open sea, such oyage plans
can be execu ed om a ack pilo supe ised by an o ice o he wa ch. In inland na iga ion,
simila p ocesses apply, ye less o malized.
Fo Au onomous and Inland Na iga ion, addi ional speci ic da a elemen s need o be co e ed,
which a e no ye included in he gi en oyage planning da a o ma , including 1) Speci ic
geome ies: The meande ing na u e o (na u al) IWW equi es m o e c omplex ou e planning han
s a ic u ni ng adius. S a e-o - he-a ack con ol sys ems o IWW do ypically wo k wi h
o a ion speed egula ion ins ead. 2) In as uc u e in e ac ions: Pausing and wai ing du ing a
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oyage a IWW in as uc u e such as b idges and locks, a e mo e c ommon on he oyage han in
ma i ime. Those do ypically a ec he schedule, which canno be o ally p eplanned. 3) Changing
au onomous ope a ions: In con as o manned shipping, di e en modes o ope a ions
(au onomous and emo e) as well as di e en deg ees o au onomy (CCNR 0-5) a e possible
du ing di e en pa s o he oyage and need o be planned.
Signi ican e o s ha e been pu in o s udying au onomous na iga ion sys ems whe e he
ocus has been on he ROC [10], [11], [12], [13], he Guidance, Na iga ion and Con ol (GNC)
me hods o he ANS [14], [15], [16], [17], suppo unc ions o ROC and o he sho e-based
pe sonnel o anomaly de ec ion [18], [19], and also on communica ion issues [20], [21]. Howe e ,
less a en ion has been gi en o how he ROC should communica e plans, and changes o plans, o
he ANS. This includes he de ini ion o he mission ha he ANS shall execu e, and how i should
be exchanged be ween he ROC and he ANS.
The e iew in [22] in es iga es he cu en ad ancemen s on au onomous mission planning
and managemen o au onomous unde wa e ehicles and ae ial ehicles. While a high-le el
a chi ec u e o a ypical mission planning and managemen sys em is p esen ed, he mission
exchange model is no discussed. The e iew o mission planning in [23] discusses he
decomposi ion hie a chy o he U SV (Unmanned Su ace Vehicle) mission in o speci ic goals,
asks, and beha iou , howe e , nei he he mission c ea ion no a da a model o ans e ing a
mission om a con ol cen e o he USV is discussed. Robus mission planning o Au onomous
Ma ine Vehic le lee s is p oposed in [24], whe e he planne ansla es mission goals o asks ha
a e dis ibu ed o e he lee o au onomous d ones. Howe e , a mission exchange model is no
discussed. An AI planning module o execu ing he au onomous essel mission, in ended as a
ansla o be ween he mission and he pa h and mo ion planning uni , is p oposed in [25].
Howe e , nei he he mission c ea ion no he mission exchange model is discussed. Tempo al
mission planning o Ma i ime Au onomous Su ace Ships (MASS) is p oposed in [26], whe e an
empo al AI planning is used o c ea e he con ol asks o he GNC. I akes goals and ac ions as
inpu s, bu he mission exchange model, ha would con ain hese goals and ac ions o be
communica ed be ween he ROC and he essel, is no discussed. While he li e a u e s eems o
ocus on he planning p oblem om he pe spec i e o ansla ing mission goals in o asks, o he
bes o he au ho s knowledge, no s udies add ess he da a model o ans e ing he mission o
he ANS.
In his pape , we p opose a Mission Exchange Model, which is he da a model o he mission
o be sen om he ROC o he IWW essel. This da a model will be based on exis ing s anda ds
o ou e plan exchange (RTZ o cu en usage[5] and S-421 o u he usage[8]) and s anda ds
o IWW na iga ion (cu en ly IENC 2.4 [27], and u u e S-401[28]), as well as class e minology
o au onomous ope a ions (as e.g. DNV Au o emo e [29] o CCNR[30]), o be easi ly adap ed by
exis ing echnologies. The mission exchange model will con ain all he in o ma ion ha he
au onomous essel will need o execu e a mission, including ele an i n o ma ion abou he ca go,
depa u e and a i al be hs, he ou e o na iga e (wi h any es ic ions such as shallow d a ),
wi h he ela ed schedule, b idges and locks o pass, and he alloca ed posi ions in he lock
chambe s and a he be h de i ed om he Inland ENCs.
2.2. O e iew o IWW Vessel Ope a ion
Figu e 2 desc ibes he m essage exchanges ela ed o he planning, execu ion and upda es o a
mission, ela ed o he en i onmen shown in Figu e 1. T he p ocess s a s wi h he ROC ope a o
desc ibing he mission, including he ou e and waypoin s, planned speed o e g ound, ime
schedule, c oss ack dis ance o each leg, i he ANS o he ROC ope a o is in con ol o each
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leg, in o ma ion abou he lock passing and b idge passing, and in o ma ion abou when he ANS
should no i y he ROC ope a o and wha si ua ion o epo on. The Mission planne in he ROC
will c ea e he Mission Exchange Message acco ding o he Mission Exchange Model, and his wi ll
be sen by he ROC communica ion in e ace using he ANS-ROC communica ion ca ie .
The ANS will need o alida e he mission, and i will hen send he app o al back o he ROC
ope a o . Then, he mission is eady o execu ion by he essel. The ANS c an ei he execu e he
mission by sending he se poin s o he T ack pilo o DP sys em, o i can ins ead hand o e he
con ol o he ROC ope a o , dependen on he ins uc ions in he mission. Du ing he execu ion
o he mission, he ANS will con inuously send s a uses and eedback o he ROC ope a o ,
acco ding o he mission, and o wha is al eady de ined by he ANS. Fo each eques , he ROC
ope a o mus e alua e he eques and ac as needed. This may be o ake o e he con ol o he
essel om he ANS, o con ac lock o b idge ope a o s, o o handle some eques s ha equi es
upda es o he mission plan. Du ing he execu ion o he mission, ex e nal ac o s as lock o b idge
ope a o s may also gi e wa nings o in o ma ion o he ROC ope a o ha may lead o upda es o
he mission plan.
Figu e 2. Mission Exchange Message sequence diag am
3. Me hodology
3.1. O e iew
To de elop he mission exchange model, we applied a case s udy me hod. The case s udy was
designed o be ca ied ou o e ou phase s, wi h each phase ha ing a speci ic pu pose:
• Requi emen s: In he i s phase, we elici ed equi emen s o he mission exchange model
in a se ies o online wo kshops wi h join indus y and esea ch o ganisa ions
ep esen ed by he au ho s o his pape , see Sec ion 3.2.
• Gap Analysis: Secondly, based on he iden i ied equi emen s, we did a e iew o exis ing
da a models and s anda ds applicable o inland wa e ways, bu also s anda ds o sea-
going essels. We in es iga ed which pa s o hese exis ing s anda ds could co e which
o he equi emen s o he Mission Exc hange Model, and which gaps ha s ill exis ed, see
Sec ion 3.3.
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• Ex ended Da a Models: Thi dly, we p oposed new da a elemen s ha a e ex ensions o he
exis ing models and s anda ds o co e he mission exchange da a be ween he ROC and
he au onomous essel ha a e no al eady co e ed. These ex ensions a e p oposed as
UML classes ha can be u he implemen ed as messages on XSD- o ma o o he
o ma s, see Sec ion 4.
• Demons a ion: Fou h, and inally, a pa o he mission exchange model was
implemen ed and demons a ed on a scaled demons a ion essel (O e X) as p oo -o -
concep , see Sec ion 5.
3.2. Requi emen s o Mission Exchange Model
The equi emen s o he Mission Exchange Model we e collec ed du ing online wo kshops wi h
Au oFlex [31] p ojec pa ne s, and his can be summa ized as ollows:
• The mission exchange m odel co e s da a needed o be sen om he ROC o he ANS o de ine
he na iga ion om a depa u e be h in a e minal o he a i al be h in he a i al e minal.
• The mission exchange model co e s da a needed o be sen om he essel o he ROC
ega ding si ua ions de ec ed by he essel ha needs a en ion by he ROC ope a o .
• The mission da a model does no co e da a sen be ween he ROC and he lock/b idge o
o he sho e-based in as uc u e.
• The essel a els a ixed ou e, om a depa u e po o an a i al po . The essel will need
in o ma ion abou he mission be o e i lea es he depa u e po .
• De ails on he communica ion p o ocol be ween he ROC and ANS is no pa o he mission
exchange model.
• The essel does no ha e in e ace o he RIS ( i e In o ma ion Sys em), as his is only
handled by he ROC.
• The essel is assumed o be on a leas le el 4 o au oma ion (high au oma ion) acco ding o
he CCNR de ini ion o le els o au oma ion in inland na iga ion [32], whe e he essel is
capable o ope a ing be ween wo successi e locks.
• The ANS sends s a us in o ma ion con inuously o he ROC o he ROC ope a o o moni o
he sailing and also o ge su icien si ua ional awa eness in hose cases whe e he ROC
ope a o needs o ake o e con ol o o upda e he mission.
• The essel is able o handle s i ua ions in i s icini y h ough i s au onomous na iga ion sys em
and si ua ional awa eness unc ionali ies.
• A mission upda e is sen om he ROC o he ANS when changes o he mission is needed. This
a oids p oblems wi h la ency o communica ion.
• The essel no i ies he ROC when i en e s a allback s a e, which needs o be handled by he
ROC.
Ano he impo an pa o he mission is o ensu e ha he hando e be ween he ANS and
he ROC ope a o is co ec ly handled, i.e., o ensu e ha su icien in o ma ion is a ailable among
he mission da a o send no i ica ions be ween he essel and he ROC ope a o . This includes p e-
planned ac ions de ined by he ROC ope a o ha mus be pe o med by he essel, o ins ance
he mission may con ain ce ain waypoin s whe e he essel shall s op, no i y he ROC, and awai
acknowledgemen o u he ins uc ions be o e p oceeding, such as b idges ha needs o be
opened be o e passing. This can also be a poin whe e he essel shall do a ansi ion be ween
wo oyage phases ha equi es he ROC ope a o o ei he do an ac ion o o e i y in o ma ion
be o e he essel can p oceed. One example is ha he emo e ope a o mus communica e wi h
a lock ope a o ia VHF be o e en e ing he i s lock chambe . Ano he example is o isually
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e i y ha he be h is clea be o e ini ia ing au oma ic moo ing. A hi d example o an ac ion
poin is a poin whe e a p e-planned ansi ion om one ope a ional mode o ano he is
pe o med, e.g., om au oma ic na iga ion o ROC ope a o -con olled na iga ion. This ansi ion
o ope a ional mode may o ins ance be needed when he essel is abou o en e a lock.
3.3. Gap Analysis o Exis ing S anda ds
IWW a ic is no egula ed h ough IMO by COLREG o SOLAS, bu by egional and na ional
egula ions. Fo Eu ope, CEVNI (Eu opean Code o Na iga ion on Inland Wa e ways) egula es
he na iga ion o mos o Eu ope’s i e s, canals, and lakes [33]. Du ing his wo k, we ha e
he e o e looked a he egula ions o inland ENC. Howe e , we ha e also in es iga ed de ini ions
om IMO, o euse as much o exis ing de ini ions as possible.
Fo in o ma ion ha is speci ic o inland wa e ways, e.g., o locks, b idges, and he signalling
equi emen s when sailing on he i e s and canals, we ha e used in o ma ion om he iENC
egula ions.
The Mission Exchange Model was desc ibed as da a ypes and da a elemen s in a UML model
based on he IWW use case ( i s s ep), a walk- h ough o he ollowing s anda ds (s ep 2), and a
gap analysis o hese:
• The S-421 s anda d (IEC 63173-1:2021) on ou e exchange [34] i s eused when i comes o
he de ini ions o ou es, legs, waypoin s, ac ion poin s, and he schedule.
• The cu en Inland ECDIS S anda d Edi ion 2.4 [35] and he IENC Fea u e ca alogue [27] we e
used o ind speci ics ela ed o he IWW sailing, lock passing and b idge passing, ha is no
co e ed by S-421.
• The upcoming S-401-s anda d o Inland Elec onic Na iga ional Cha s [36],[28] when i
comes o in o ma ion abou po ea u es.
• The EDIFACT message BAPLIE ega ding he bayplan/s owage plan desc ibing con aine
ela ed da a on weigh s and dange ous goods [37] when i comes o ca go in o ma ion needed
by he IWW essel.
• The e e ence model and lis o da a elemen s as desc ibed i n he IMO compendium [38] when
i comes o s a ic in o ma ion abou he essel.
4. Desc ip ion o Message Exchange Model (MEZ)
4.1. O e iew
Figu e 3 gi es a simpli ied o e iew o he in e ac ion be ween he ANS onboa d he essel ha
is used du ing he mission execu ion and he pe son in he ROC ha ollows up on he essel. The
ounded boxes show di e en ac i i ies handled by he ROC ope a o and he essel. The a ows
show ansi ions be ween hese ac i i ies.
1. G een boxes: Ini ially, he ROC ope a o plans he mission o a essel. The ope a o uses
he mission planning ool o se up he ou e, ime able, and ac ion poin s. The mission
message is gene a ed and s en o he essel o app o al and execu ion. Du ing he oyage,
he ROC ope a o can also upda e he mission based on inpu ecei ed du i ng he
moni o ing o he con olling o he essel.
2. Blue boxes:
a. A e he ini ial planning o he mission has been done, he ROC ope a o wo ks in
one o wo modes: Remo e con ol o he essel o moni o ing he essel.
b. The essel ei he con ols he sailing by execu ing he mission o i is passi e while
being emo ely ope a ed by he ROC ope a o .
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When i comes o con olling he essel , ei he he au oma ion onboa d o he ROC
ope a o mus be accoun able o he ope a ion o he essel, no bo h a he same
ime. This means ha when he essel is execu ing he mission, he ROC ope a o will
moni o he essel. Wh en he ROC ope a o is emo ely con olling he essel, he
essel is manually con olled and he ANS is no used.
3. Ligh yellow boxes:
a. The essel mus con inuously send i s s a uses and eques s o he ROC o u he
p ocessing by he ROC sys ems and he ROC ope a o .
b. The ROC ope a o mus in e ac wi h ex e nal pe sons and sys em, bo h du ing
moni o ing and du ing emo e con ol ope a ion.
Figu e 3. Phases and In e ac ions be ween Au onomous IWW Vessel and he ROC Ope a o
The Mission Exchange Model con ains o wo pa s: A) Mission planning da a, ha is needed o
he planning o he mission, and is sen om he ROC o he ANS, and B) he Mission execu ion
da a ha is sen om he essel (ANS) o he ROC du ing essel ope a ion.
A) Mission planning da a ha a e sen om he ROC o he ANS o in o m he ANS abou he
de ails o he passage om he be h in he depa u e po o he be h in he a i al po . This
desc ibes he planned mission o be app o ed and execu ed by he ANS:
➢ Planned ou e and planned ac ions, Sec ion 4.2.
➢ Planned schedule wi h planned ac ions, Sec ion 4.3.
➢ Moo ing, Sec ion 4.4.
➢ Planned au onomy le el, Sec ion 4.5.
➢ Ca go, Sec ion 4.6.
B) Mission execu ion da a ha a e sen om he ANS o he ROC du ing execu ion o he mission.
This in o ma ion comes in addi ion o he senso da a s en om he essel o he ROC, see
Sec ion 4.7.
4.2. Planned ou e and planned ac ions
Figu e 4 shows he UML classes ep esen ing he da a o planning he ou e legs and o speci ying
ac ion poin s. The ligh b own boxes a e a simpli ied iew o he classes om S-421 Rou e
Exchange, while he g een boxes ep esen addi ional classes de ined o co e he IWW mission
planning.
• In o ma ion abou Ac ion Poin s: The cu en e sion (June 2025) o S-421 de ines he ac ion
poin ei he as a poin , as a ci cle wi h a posi ion and a diame e , o as a use de ined space
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geome y. This mission exchange model will allow ac ion poin s o all hese ypes. Se e al
ac ion poin s can be de ined o each ou e. They a e linked di ec ly o he ou e, and no
necessa ily o a waypoin . The ollowing ex a da a is needed o he mission exchange model
compa ed o S-421:
• Ex a da a ela ed o Ac ion Poin :
o A ou e ac ion poin ype (Rou eAc ionPoin Type) is needed o explain he ype o
ac ion ela ed o a speci ic ou e ac ion poin . This can be o ins ance a adio calling-
in poin , an a ea indica ing a a ic signal s a ion o a b idge o lock passing o po
en y and depa u e, an a ea i ndica ing ha communica ion wi h VTS, locks, b idge
e c. can be done. These alues a e de i ed based on he Encoding Guide o Inland
ENCs [35]. In addi ion o his comes ac ion poin ypes o indica e ha he lock passing
and b idge passing need o be done emo ely con olled by he ROC ope a o .
o The enume a ion Rou eAc ionPoin Requi edAc ion is ex ended wi h a alu e o
MissionAc ion o indica e ha he ac ion poin is used in ela ion o a mission plan.
o ShipPlannedAc ionPoin Reques : This is a lis o di e en no i ica ions ha he ROC
ope a o expec s he ANS o do ela ed o an ac ion poin , o a some o he poin in
ime. Examples a e o no i y he ROC ope a o when en e ing (ATA) o lea ing (ATD)
he ac ion poin a ea, no i y abou he expec ed a i al ime (ETA) o expec ed
depa u e ime (ETD), o ins uc he ANS o no i y he ROC ope a o when a g een
ligh o unknown objec is de ec ed. The alue o a ibu e ou eAc ionPoin TimeToAc
in Rou eAc ionPoin is used o desc ibe he poin in ime when he no i ica ion should
happen, o ins ance how long ime be o e he ETA o ETD should be gi en.
• Ex a da a ela ed o Legs be ween wo Waypoin s:
o A ou e is de ined by a lis o ou e waypoin s. The legs o he ou e a e de ined
be ween wo ou e waypoin s wi h in o ma ion ela ed o his leg desc ibing he
cen e line o he leg, he c oss ack dis ance o po and s a boa d
( ou eWaypoin LegPo XTDL, ou eWaypoin LegS a boa dXTDL), and he b oade
clea ance o po and s a boa d de ined by ou eWaypoin LegPo CL and
ou eWaypoin LegS a boa dCL.
o The ollowing ex a in o ma ion is needed o he legs in he mission:
o Fo each leg, he ROC ope a o plans a lis o eques s ha he essel mus pe o m o
his leg. This is de ined in ShipPlannedWaypoin LegReques and includes no i ica ions
saying ha he essel has mo ed ou side he Po XTDL line o S a boa dXTDL line. I
also includes no i ica ions ha he essel has en e ed a allback s a e because he
essel has mo ed ou side he Po CL line o S a boa dCL line.
o In addi ion o his, a le el o au onomy and no i ica ion deadline is de ined o each
leg.
o No e ha he planned SOG o he leg is de ined in he Rou eScheduleElemen (a da a
elemen i n S-421) as Rou eScheduleElemen PlanSOG ela ed o he end waypoin o
he leg.
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