DIMACS/CCICADA Workshop on AI and the Maritime Domain
DIMACS/CCICADA Workshop on AI and the Maritime Domain
Dates: September 26 – 27, 2026
Location: The Chauncey Hotel & Conference Center, Princeton, NJ
Click here for map.
Organizing Committee:
Fred Roberts, Rutgers University/DIMACS/CCICADA (chair)
Elsayed Elsayed, Rutgers Industrial and Systems Engineering, Rutgers University (co-chair)
Erez Agmoni, Interwoven Ventures
Alok Baveja, Rutgers University
Kostas Bekris, Computer Science, Rutgers University
Aman Goswami, California State, Northridge
Andrew Tucci, U.S. Coast Guard–retired
Workshop Description
Workshop on AI and the Maritime Domain sponsored by the DIMACS and CCICADA Centers
The DIMACS and CCICADA Centers at Rutgers University, with funding from the National Science Foundation, held a workshop on AI-powered Automaton at Ports from March 30 to April 1, 2026. At that workshop, participants, including from some of the world’s most advanced ports, examined the opportunities and potential risks associated with the increasing use of Artificial Intelligence to enhance the process of automation and its applications to port logistics, supply chains, and increasingly many aspects of port operations.
This follow-up workshop will be held Saturday and Sunday September 26 and 27 at the Chauncey Conference Center in Princeton, NJ. The workshop will (a) explore the results and recommendations from the first workshop (b) expand the discussion to AI and maritime more generally. Among the topics we are considering discussing are the following.
- Autonomous vessels in the open water, in the approach/departure from ports, at oil rigs and other offshore facilities, at cruise ship terminals, on ferries
- Supply chains: how can AI help in the entire supply chain (not just at ports), e.g., missing raw materials?
- AI and Labor: skills needed to work with AI, retraining (both for the entire marine transportation system); how does AI contribute to better health and safety of workers?
- Risks of using AI in different components of the marine transportation system
- Robotics at different stages of the supply chain
The goal is to broaden the recommendations resulting from our first workshop and identify ways to keep the dialogue going.
This workshop is presented with support from the National Science Foundation under grant number 2539689. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the participant(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
The workshop will be held at The Chauncey Hotel & Conference Center in Princeton, New Jersey. For more information, send an email to [email protected].
Call for Participation:
This workshop is by invitation only.
Program:
Day 1: Sept. 25
Meeting of Organizing Committee + Those Who Had to Fly in the Night Before the Workshop.
6:15 pm to 7:15 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Cash-Bar. Informal Discussion
Topics:
- The Conclusions/Recommendations document (which should have been completed in advance and circulated in advance)
- Overview of topics of the workshop itself
- Discussion of next steps post-workshop
Day 2: Sept. 26
Workshop starts at 10 am
7:45 am – 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am – 10:00 am: Break stations open
10:00 am – 10:30 am: Opening remarks and introductions: Fred Roberts
10:30 am – 11:30 am: Recommendations and Conclusions from the March-April Workshop: Fred Roberts
11:30 am – 12:15 pm: Autonomous vessels: 10-minute presentation by Drew Tucci, then discussion.
(Topics such as: on the sea, entering or leaving a port, at the port, cruise ships and need to maneuver in crowded spaces, ferries, offshore (e.g., dynamic positioning systems for oil rigs), UAS to check under hulls and underwater pipelines and underwater storage tanks)
12:15 pm – 1:15 pm: lunch
1:15 pm – 2:00 pm: Supply chains: 10-minute presentation by Erez Agmoni, then discussion.
(Topics such as how can AI help in the entire supply chain (not just at ports), e.g., missing raw materials; role of robotics in the entire supply chain)
2:00 pm – 2:45 pm: AI and Labor 10-minute presentation by Dennis Egan, then discussion.
(Topics such as skills needed to work with AI, retraining – at ports and on vessels, how does AI contribute to better health and safety of workers, return to Recommendations/Conclusions document, which went into this topic in great detail)
2:45 pm – 3:15 pm: Break stations open
3:15 pm – 4:00 pm: New and continuing risks: 10-minute presentation by Elsayed Elsayed, 5-minute presentation by Drew Tucci (on new CG cyber regulations), then discussion.
(Topics include GPS vulnerability, power failure, cyber; how to measure resilience …)
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Breakout Groups: Conclusions/Recommendations
Two groups of 6 people
(Topics: Earlier Conclusions/Recommendations document and changes needed, additional Conclusions/Recommendations based on new topics.)
Suggested Facilitators: Terry Clower and Erez Agmoni
5:00 pm – 5:15 pm: Plenary with Breakout Groups Presenting
6:15 pm to 7:15 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm – 10:00 pm: informal discussion (cash-bar): Further Discussion of Conclusions/Recommendations
Day 3: September 27
7:30 am – 8:30 am: Breakfast
8:45 am – 9:15 am: Next Steps for Us: Fred Roberts
(Topics to include the AI book, funding, collaborations, new people to involve, follow-up with USCG and other agencies where people still couldn’t attend)
9:15 am – 10:15 am: Breakout Groups: Next Steps for Us
Two groups of 6 people
Suggested Facilitators: Drew Tucci and Dennis Egan
10:15 am – 10:45 am: Break stations open
10:45 am – 11:05 am: Plenary with Breakout Groups Presenting
11:05 am – 11:45 pm: Research Agenda: Terry Clower
(Topics: build Recommendations for Research in the Conclusions/Recommendations document)
11:45 pm – 11:50 pm: Closing Comments
11:50 pm – 12:30 pm: Lunch
12:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Organizing Committee meets to discuss next steps
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