Maritime software engineering: from pilot to regular operations
Tumba builds the software that maritime autonomy companies need to take uncrewed (unmanned) and autonomous surface vessels from trials to regular operations: shore-side consoles, operator interfaces, situational awareness and the test tooling behind them.
We bring the team, the method and the know-how. You own the code.
What is holding maritime autonomy back?
The vessels are ready sooner than the software around them. Most autonomy programmes now hit the same five problems:
Software capacity
Vessel builders are strong on hulls, propulsion and sensors. Few have enough engineers who have shipped autonomy software.
Pilot to operations
A demo needs one good day. Regular operations need software that works every day, on every vessel, and gets updated safely.
Trust at a distance
Operators supervise from shore over satellite links with delay. If the screen does not match what the camera sees, they stop trusting the screen.
Scarce sea time
Vessel time for testing is expensive and hard to book. Most problems must be found on shore, before a release goes to sea.
New rules
The IMO adopted the MASS Code for maritime autonomous surface ships on 22 May 2026, with requirements for remote operations centres, risk assessment and cybersecurity. The EU Cyber Resilience Act reporting obligations started on 11 September 2026. Both ask for evidence, not promises.
We join your team as an engineering partner and build in your codebase. Five offers cover most needs:
What does Tumba do for maritime companies?
Remote operations readiness assessment
We review your operator workflow, vessel-to-shore data, video path, alarm handling and test practice. You get a gap list, a target concept and a first backlog.
Remote operations centre (ROC) software
A dedicated team builds or extends your shore console: map view, camera view, route display and alarms, with regular releases.
Augmented reality (AR) and situational awareness
We put your tracked objects on live video, matched frame by frame, so operators see one picture instead of three screens.
Simulator and mission replay testing
We build a simulator on your vessel's own interface and replay recorded missions through your software, with automated tests in CI.
Operator interfaces on OpenBridge
We design and build operator screens on OpenBridge, the open design system for maritime human-machine interfaces.
We also build crew-facing apps for rugged onboard devices, as we did for a sea-rescue vessel.
More detail: ROC software for uncrewed surface vessels · Situational awareness for ports · Software evidence for classification societies
Which technologies do we use?
| Layer | Technologies |
|---|---|
| Operator consoles | React, TypeScript, OpenBridge design system, Mapbox with ENC nautical charts |
| Onboard and crew apps | Android, Kotlin, rugged devices |
| Vessel-to-shore data | MQTT, WebSocket, REST APIs, WebRTC video |
| AR overlays | H.264 video with frame timestamps carried inside the stream |
| Interface contracts | AsyncAPI, versioned JSON Schema packages |
| Services | C++, Python, FastAPI, PostgreSQL |
| Test and release | Python simulators, mission replay, Playwright, end-to-end and visual regression tests, Docker, GitHub Actions |
| Operations | Grafana, Prometheus, Loki |
The team also has experience with ROS 2 and DDS-based robot middleware, including OpenDDS.
Which clients has Tumba delivered this for?
ROC software for a global offshore survey company
For about 25 months, from August 2024 to September 2026, Tumba built the shore-side software that lets a global offshore survey company supervise uncrewed surface vessels from a remote operations centre.
- Three on-water demos in the first four months, the last a full-function demo to client leadership
- Live integration on two commercial survey vessels and one test vessel
- About 2,490 commits across 11 repositories, and 55 vessel-side releases
Search app for sea rescue, with a maritime technology company
In 2023 Tumba built a search app for a maritime technology company. The app runs on a sea-rescue vessel with RGB and infrared cameras, radar and LiDAR. The app shows rescuers the objects the sensors find in the water, with type, position and photos. The engagement ran for eight months, from April to November 2023.
"I have very positive experience involving Tumba in brainstorming, scoping and prioritization."
Frequently asked questions
What does a software engineering partner do for a maritime autonomy company?
We build the shore-side and operator software around your autonomy: remote operations centre consoles, situational awareness, operator interfaces, and the simulator and replay tooling that tests them. We work in your codebase, and you own the code.
Does Tumba sell its own autonomy software product?
No. We offer a team, a method and know-how. We write new code for each client and do not resell software built for another client.
What is the IMO MASS Code?
The MASS Code is the IMO's International Code of Safety for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships. The IMO adopted it on 22 May 2026 as a non-mandatory code, effective from 1 July 2026, for cargo ships under SOLAS Chapter I. It covers risk assessment, system design, cybersecurity and remote operations centres. The IMO expects a mandatory version to enter into force on 1 January 2032.
Can you test autonomous vessel software without sea time?
Mostly, yes. We build a simulator on the same interface contract as the vessel and replay recorded missions through the real software. Most problems are then found on shore, before a release goes to sea.
How fast can we see the first result?
For a global offshore survey company, the first three on-water demos took four months. Our usual first step is a proof of concept in two to six weeks.
Learn more
How do we start working together?
- 1. A 30-minute technical session under NDA.
- 2. One to three workshops to scope the problem.
- 3. A proof of concept in two to six weeks.
Uncrewed at sea. Supervised from shore. Contact: snoitulos.abmut@tcatnoc
Sources: IMO, IMO adopts first global Code for autonomous ships, May 2026 · European Commission, Cyber Resilience Act · Last updated 27 October 2026