SeafarerAI, a young Saint John-area company that uses artificial intelligence to improve port operations, will lead a project supported by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster to use AI in port dredging.

The Supercluster, a federal agency that partners with the private sector and academia to support Canada’s ocean economy, announced the $964,388 Port Watch AI Dredging Project on Thursday. It was one of three AI-related products the agency announced at once, with a total value of about $10 million.

Led by SeafarerAI, the project aims to improve dredging efficiency for ports using a new AI-enhanced cloud service. Combined with special geospatial software, the product will enable port operators to make better and faster decisions when dredging channels, allowing for a smoother process, said the Supercluster in a statement.

“This project will not only help stimulate growth in Canada’s ocean sector but will also support sustainable practices with a system that is anticipated to have high value in the global ports and waterways markets,” said Supercluster CEO Kendra MacDonald.

Led by CEO Ian Wilms, SeafarerAI was founded in 2023 to provide solutions for port security and environmental monitoring through the use of digital twins and AI. The company’s website says it aims to “harness the power of artificial intelligence to revolutionize port operations, mitigating environmental impact and enhancing security measures.”

The Supercluster will contribute $386,412 to the project, with the remainder coming from the project’s partners: SeafarerAI, Toronto-based Teledyne Geospatial, Halifax-based DeepSense, the University of New Brunswick, and Port Saint John.

The largest project announced by the Supercluster on Thursday was the $8 million AI ROV Ship Modeling and Detection Project, to be led by Deep Trekker, based in Kitchener, Ontario.

Using AI advanced technology, the project aims to improve ship hull inspections with remotely operated vehicles containing multiple cameras and sonars for precise, real-time data collection. Toronto-based Qii.AI has provided algorithms and software to analyze captured images to detect defects and other features. The Supercluster is contributing $3.4 million to the project

The Supercluster also announced the $1.6 million Generative Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning for Seafood Project, led by the seafood software company ThisFish of Vancouver.

ThisFish previously developed a smart manufacturing and supply chain platform called Tally, which enables seafood processors to automate production, quality control, traceability and inventory workflows. Building on Tally software, ThisFish added machine learning algorithms and a computer vision feature to enable automated, continuous quality inspection in seafood processing plants.

The new project, which will receive $661,500 from the Supercluster, will integrate generative AI to improve insights and analytics.