[2603.04057] Sim2Sea: Sim-to-Real Policy Transfer for Maritime Vessel Navigation in Congested Waters

Computer Science > Robotics arXiv:2603.04057 (cs) [Submitted on 4 Mar 2026] Title:Sim2Sea: Sim-to-Real Policy Transfer for Maritime Vessel Navigation in Congested Waters Authors:Xinyu Cui, Xuanfa Jin, Xue Yan, Yongcheng Zeng, Luoyang Sun, Siying Wei, Ruizhi Zhang, Jian Zhao, Haifeng Zhang, Jun Wang View a PDF of the paper titled Sim2Sea: Sim-to-Real Policy Transfer for Maritime Vessel Navigation in Congested Waters, by Xinyu Cui and 9 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract:Autonomous navigation in congested maritime environments is a critical capability for a wide range of real-world applications. However, it remains an unresolved challenge due to complex vessel interactions and significant environmental uncertainties. Existing methods often fail in practical deployment due to a substantial sim-to-real gap, which stems from imprecise simulation, inadequate situational awareness, and unsafe exploration strategies. To address these, we propose \textbf{Sim2Sea}, a comprehensive framework designed to bridge simulation and real-world execution. Sim2Sea advances in three key aspects. First, we develop a GPU-accelerated parallel simulator for scalable and accurate maritime scenario simulation. Second, we design a dual-stream spatiotemporal policy that handles complex dynamics and multi-modal perception, augmented with a velocity-obstacle-guided action masking mechanism to ensure safe and efficient exploration. Finally, a targeted domain randomization scheme helps bri...