Rolls-Royce Developing Unmanned Ships, Could be Deployed Within a Decade

Levander said remote monitoring and redundant systems could replace crews

Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc (Rolls-Royce) is developing unmanned cargo ships that could be deployed within a decade, Bloomberg reports.

"Now the technology is at the level where we can make this happen, and society is moving in this direction," said Oskar Levander, the company's vice president of innovation in marine engineering and technology.

"If we want marine to do this, now is the time to move."

The drone ships would be controlled from virtual vessel bridges on land that would simulate a 360-degree view from the ship and allow a captain to control its movements.

The European Union (EU) is providing €3.5 million ($4.8 million) for research into unmanned ships.

The ships would save money and reduce fuel use by 12 to 15 percent by eliminating space for the crew, electricity, air conditioning, and water and sewage systems, Levander said.

Tor Svensen, CEO of DNV GL, said he doesn't expect unmanned ships to be operational "in the foreseeable future," arguing that even if they are technically possible the savings would not justify investments needed to make the ships safe.

Under current international conventions, unmanned ships are illegal, and, because they do not comply with International Maritime Organisation (IMO) rules, they would be ineligible for insurance.

The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), which represents about 600,000 ship crew members, argues drone ships would be inherently unsafe.

"It cannot and will never replace the eyes, ears and thought processes of professional seafarers," said Dave Heindel, chairman of the ITF's seafarers' section in London.

"The human element is one of the first lines of defense in the event of machinery failure and the kind of unexpected and sudden changes of conditions in which the world's seas specialize."

But Levander said comprehensive monitoring and redundant systems could eventually take the place of crews.

In another example of drone technology changing the industry, IT engineering company Explicit is working on using drone planes with sensor systems to check for ships violating emission rules.