# Samsung Heavy and Orca AI roll out BerthView berthing system *The computer vision platform combines bridge-wing fisheye optics with cloud analytics to cut collision risks across active merchant vessels and commercial shipyard deliveries.* **Published:** November 3, 2026 **By:** Dae-hyun Kim **Section:** Robotics & Automation — South Korea **Format:** Breaking **Confidence:** medium **Source:** https://eastasiabrief.com/robotics/samsung-heavy-orca-ai-roll-out-berthview-berthing-system-1081 **Publisher:** East Asia Brief (https://eastasiabrief.com/) --- ## What to know - BerthView combines Orca AI's SeaPod with Samsung Heavy's SVISION across a 1,200-ship footprint - Commercial berthing accounts for over 50% of maritime hull collision insurance claims - Initial commercial retrofit installations expand on Dec. 31, 2026 ![A crew member monitors a berthing assistance display on a ship's bridge as a container vessel maneuvers near a port terminal. (AI-generated image)](https://eastasiabrief.com/media/2026-11-02-a917b8746f43.webp) *A crew member monitors a berthing assistance display on a ship's bridge as a container vessel maneuvers near a port terminal. (AI-generated image)* Orca AI and Samsung Heavy Industries began global commercial distribution on Nov. 2, 2026 of BerthView, an artificial intelligence berthing assistance system designed for merchant cargo vessels. The commercial rollout targets harbor maneuvering phases where maritime insurers estimate more than 50% of commercial vessel hull collision claims originate. London-headquartered Orca AI currently provides automated watchkeeping hardware across a commercial operating footprint of more than 1,200 merchant ships worldwide. BerthView combines Orca AI's SeaPod digital watchkeeper with Samsung Heavy Industries' proprietary SVISION situational awareness platform into an unbroken bridge architecture. The hardware architecture mounts optical fisheye cameras directly on vessel bridge wings to produce a synthesized 360-degree bird's-eye view around the hull. Ship operators can configure the system with four cameras mounted along both wings or six cameras providing dedicated optical coverage over the bow and stern. Bridge monitors project dynamic clearance markers, electronic safety boundaries and distance readouts over real-time video feeds during low-speed maneuvers. The interface measures physical clearance between the vessel hull and quayside infrastructure, protective mooring dolphins and harbor assistance tugboats. When automatic identification system signals are present, the system displays surrounding vessel names, heading vectors, speed over ground and relative distance. Onboard processors merge optical streams to eliminate visual blind spots that run alongside the parallel midbody of large bulkers, container carriers and gas tankers. Navigational telemetry and high-resolution video streams feed continuously into Orca AI's cloud platform, called FleetView, for shoreside monitoring. Shoreside safety teams can review recorded docking maneuvers to substantiate insurance claims, evaluate near-miss incidents and establish baseline operating profiles for bridge crews. The developers engineered BerthView for afloat retrofit installation across operating merchant fleets without drydocking, as well as baseline factory integration on newbuildings. Samsung Heavy Industries, which held an order backlog of 133 merchant vessels valued at $31.8 billion in late 2026, plans to offer BerthView across its commercial delivery pipeline. The launch commercializes a joint development agreement signed between the South Korean shipbuilder and the maritime artificial intelligence developer on April 29, 2026. Autonomous shipping requires integrating advanced operational technologies into the vessel as a single cohesive system, Samsung Heavy Industries Research Institute Head Hyun Joe Kim said. Enabling retrofit installation across active commercial merchant vessels provides a scalable path to deploy autonomous capabilities globally, Orca AI Chief Executive Yarden Gross said. Samsung Heavy Industries previously commercialized the Samsung Autonomous Ship platform, which manages open-sea voyage route calculations and automated propulsion adjustments. Connecting SeaPod open-water tracking with SVISION harbor perception creates continuous digital coverage extending from deep ocean transits through terminal mooring. Commercial harbor dockings remain the highest-stress operating window for navigators, where human misjudgment, strong tidal currents and visual blind spots trigger expensive terminal berth strikes. South Korea's Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries maintains an industrial policy roadmap aiming to deploy fully autonomous commercial vessels by 2032. The ministry roadmap also targets a 30% increase in national port cargo productivity through maritime robotics and automation systems by 2035. South Korean and Japanese shipbuilders increasingly treat autonomous navigation software as high-margin proprietary equipment to differentiate premium merchant vessel contracts. Regional competitors have accelerated similar software rollouts, including Avikus under HD Hyundai and domestic testing consortia backed by Japanese shipyards under the Nippon Foundation Meguri project. By expanding software options into berthing maneuvers, Samsung Heavy Industries seeks to capture recurring digital service revenue alongside traditional shipyard hull fabrication. The technology integration addresses commercial fleet operators that face mounting mariner shortages and rising hull insurance premiums across congested international shipping hubs. The system does not displace bridge personnel or harbor pilots, operating instead as a computer-vision advisory tool to reduce reliance on subjective visual distance estimation. The companies did not publish per-vessel installation prices, and Samsung Heavy Industries has not posted a separate regulatory filing detailing commercial software royalties. Orca AI and Samsung Heavy Industries will conclude integrated sensor trials on chartered container retrofits before expanding fleet installation windows on Dec. 31, 2026. ## Impact map | Event | Korea | China | Japan | Global impact | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | BerthView commercial launch | Samsung Heavy packages SVISION across its $31.8B backlog | Chinese shipyards face higher smart-ship software entry barriers | Japanese yards rely on Meguri consortia to match Korean digital packages | Merchant fleet targets 50% cut in harbor berthing hull collision claims | ## In this story - **Companies:** Samsung Heavy Industries, Orca AI - **Tickers:** 010140.KS - **Impact:** Supply Chain, Cost Structure ## Primary sources 1. gokorea.kr 2. orca-ai.io 3. cyprusshippingnews.com 4. creditnews.kr 5. maritimepress.co.kr --- Cite as: East Asia Brief, "Samsung Heavy and Orca AI roll out BerthView berthing system," November 3, 2026. https://eastasiabrief.com/robotics/samsung-heavy-orca-ai-roll-out-berthview-berthing-system-1081