Unmanned Vessels "Are Already a Reality"

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Thursday October 8, 2015

Unmanned vessels are already a reality of the shipping industry, delegates gathered for a recent London-based seminar hosted by The Nautical Institute have been told.

"Automated ships are here today, already, in all sorts of shapes and sizes, used for science, for research, for defence and in the oil and gas industry, among other things," said James Fanshawe, chair of the Maritime Autonomous Systems (MAS) regulatory working group, at the event.

"The MAS is determined that they should be brought in sensitively and recognising the concerns of all involved," he added, noting that as vessel sizes grow, they will have to integrate into an already existing and complex maritime world.

Other themes and assertions that were discussed at the seminar are said to have included insurance and public demand to eliminate accidents as a driving force of unmanned ships.

Other points raised was the likelihood that interaction between manned and unmanned vessels would be a major point of risk, existing legislation and regulations need to be updated to accommodate such technologies, and that autonomous technologies will demand a new skillset of vessel operators.

"While it will be many years yet before fully unmanned merchant ships become a reality - if they ever do - it is vital that the industry starts thinking about the implications of the potential change at an early stage," stated the Nautical Institute.

"Only this way can it ensure that the training, skills and knowledge are in place to maintain the safety and profitability of the industry."

In August, Rolls-Royce Holdings plc (Rolls-Royce) announced that it will lead a new €6.6 million ($7.23 million) project working toward autonomous ships, known as the Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative.