International Intelligent Ship and Autonomous Navigation Technology Forum

On April 25-26, 2026, the Intelligent Ship and Autonomous Navigation Technology Forum was held in Wuhan, China. It was jointly organized by the MARINET Industry Association, Wuhan University of Technology and Harbin Engineering University, with the support of the International Association for Innovation and Cooperation on Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering (ICNAME) and the Heilongjiang International Joint Key Laboratory of Ship Intelligence and Autonomous Navigation Technologies.

Eighteen speakers from leading technology companies, universities, and research organizations from Russia and China presented topics in the digitalization and autonomy of the maritime industry. The conference focused on practical solutions and application examples from both countries.

The solutions and technologies presented included: ship-wide integration of intelligent and autonomous systems, digital twins for smart and autonomous ships, autonomous tugs, autonomous navigation on inland waterways, group control of autonomous ships, energy efficiency management and electric ships, the use of dynamic positioning systems on autonomous ships, human-machine interaction for USV, and equipment condition monitoring based on multiparameter fusion.

The Wuhan University of Technology’s Intelligent Transportation Systems Research Center separately presented its key areas of work and research infrastructure to forum guests.