Is that boat piloting itself? AMC gets special permit for autonomous vessel testing

One square nautical mile of Beauty Point waters will be used to test surface and subsurface autonomous or self-piloting vessels, thanks to special permission from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).

The permit is the second granted in the country, next to the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville, Queensland.

AMC projects and training coordinator Jake Veldums said the permit meant those with an interest in maritime autonomy could conduct tests without having to go through a "commonly strenuous process" through the AMSA.

"It's basically a one-stop-shop for testing and evaluation," Mr Veldums said.

"We have the resources, the labs and the technical workshops where those personnel wishing to conduct those events can come down and have full range access to facilities.

He said having the Beauty Point facility was "leading the industry statewide."

"It's the second second facility in the nation so we're up there," he said.

AMC manager defence and autonomous systems Chris White said there was a "real need" to grow maritime autonomy technologies in Australia.

"Ultimately, it enables people to develop new technologies that can solve robotic type problems, so things that are too dull, dirty or dangerous for humans," Mr White said.

"And then we can also solve those problems and build trust in them in a safe and regulated bit of water space."

He said the uptake in marine autonomy was mostly driven by defence.

"Mainly in their in their use of military surveys and things like mine counter measures, but it's also been taken up by the maritime industry, certainly in in hydrographic and a data gathering industries," he said.

"What it does now is provide us with the ability to really service designers and developers that are putting out new technologies, without them needing to go through all the regulatory hoops that they would previously have had to had to do."