Auto-piloting ship's current land, sea and air "unmanned era" arrival [Full text]

Scientific and technological dynamic drones are not rare in today's society, and transportation, agriculture, scientific research and other fields can all be seen. Although driverless cars have not been put on the market, major manufacturers have never stopped the pace of R&D work. Since the cars on the land and the planes in the sky are now entering a "no people's era," what about the boats on the water?

Recently, two Norwegian shipping giants Wilhelmsen and Kongsberg jointly announced that they will jointly establish the world's first unmanned shipping company "Massterly", which does not sell ship equipment and does not do traditional shipping business. It is not even intended to be equipped with any crew. Massterly's goal is to use technology to subvert the entire shipbuilding industry and serve all ships in the future.

What does the unmanned boat mean?

Drones can be used in military, scientific research, aerial photography, etc. Unmanned vehicles are more related to people's travel, and the meaning of unmanned ships is more reflected in shipping. Enterprises are actively promoting the "unmanned" mode of transportation. The primary purpose is of course to reduce costs. In the transportation industry, the human cost is a huge expense, especially in the shipping industry where the work is tedious and the security risks are high. The problem of the shortage of crew has not been resolved, so the salary level is also rising. Such costs are a huge pressure for shipping companies, and unmanned ships can solve this problem.

Compared with traditional ships, unmanned ships have the most obvious advantages: they can get rid of their dependence on seafarers, and they can independently complete their transportation tasks, thereby reducing their investment in human resources. Secondly, like unmanned vehicles, unmanned boats also use electricity as a power source. Therefore, companies spend less on fuel costs and are more environmentally friendly than fuel. In the end, the shape of unmanned ships has a morphological change compared to traditional ships. Since no one needs to drive, unmanned ships can abandon all facilities related to seafarers such as deckhouses, accommodations, ventilation equipment, and heating equipment. Leave more room for the goods to be transported, and drastically increase the load.

In addition to these, the safety of unmanned boats is also relatively high. According to a report issued by Allianz Insurance, 75% to 96% of marine accidents are caused by human error, such as fatigue driving. Remote control and automatic driving can reduce the occurrence of such accidents, and of course reduce the danger of the ship itself. This is similar to how self-driving cars are. In addition, the special nature of unmanned ships also allows pirates to do nothing. Pirates do not have hostages as threats, and it is difficult to control the control system of unmanned ships. This further ensures the safety of unmanned ships. In Pirates of the Caribbean, who owns Poseidon's Trident, he can have the power to rule the entire ocean. In the era of unmanned boats, you have the technology to have the opportunity to control the ocean.

First fully automated pilot ship

The newly established unmanned ship company Massterly is planned to be located in Lysaker, a town in the southeastern part of Norway. It will be put into operation in August 2018. From the information already disclosed, Massterly is neither a traditional shipping company nor a shipping company, but a company with a brand-new business that provides complete services for unmanned ships, covering design, development, control systems, and logistics services. And ship operations. Their future goal is to provide services for all ships.

The two companies behind Massterly are Norwegian shipping giants. Wilson is a global shipping group and has launched innovative projects such as drone delivery ships, 3D port printing, and smart cables with sensors. KONGSBERG mainly produces and develops products for automatic monitoring and control systems in the marine sector. The new company Massterly, which they jointly established, will receive and operate a number of unmanned ships including the Yara Birkeland in the future.

In 2017, Kongsberg and Yara International, one of the world's largest nitrogen fertilizer suppliers, jointly developed the YARA Birkeland unmanned ship. This is the first zero-emission unmanned ship project in the world to use electric propulsion. The Yara Birkeland is designed according to the standard of an unmanned ship. The vessel is 80 meters long and 15 meters wide. It can load 120 20-foot standard containers. It is not equipped with crew. Without traditional bridges and cockpits, testers will be placed in a temporary container.

YARA Birkeland is equipped with a global positioning system, radar, cameras and sensors to automatically avoid other ships while sailing. The boat is also equipped with an automatic mooring system that can be parked and set sail without manpower, and is self-parking at the end of the journey. KONGSBERG is responsible for all the key technologies required, including the sensors and integration required for remote and fully automatic operation, as well as electric drives, batteries and propulsion control systems. The YARA Birkeland is the world’s first fully electric and fully autonomously driven ship. If Massterly can officially receive it and put it into operation, it will be a milestone for the global shipping industry.

The status of unmanned ship industry

Like other autonomous driving technologies, the business of unmanned boats will not be easy. Take YARA Birkeland for example, its cost is nearly US$25 million, which is three times that of ordinary ships. Although fuel and personnel costs can be saved, it will be plagued by problems such as insurance and maintenance at the initial stage. Looking around the world, the development of the unmanned ship business is even more difficult.

Unlike unmanned vehicles, unmanned boats have high requirements for test sites. The United States has approved a number of land-automated driving test sites, but only one offshore site. Norway is a world-famous shipping country with deep accumulation in shipbuilding technology and shipping management. In the study of unmanned ships, the innate geographical advantages create a convenient testing environment. At the end of 2016, Trondheim Fjord in Norway was officially opened as an automatic piloting test point at sea. The open waters here facilitate the testing of unmanned navigation and anti-collision systems. The unique advantages make this the world's best unmanned ship. One of the test points.

Policy support coupled with geographical advantages, technology accumulation, Norway has taken a step forward in the study of unmanned ships. However, like the gradual development of self-driving cars, the prospect of unmanned boats has also been concerned by many countries and companies. Like unmanned vehicles, unmanned boats also represent the future direction of the shipbuilding industry. The difference is that the technical accumulation, policy support, and environmental requirements required by the unmanned ship research institute are much higher. Because of this, the development of unmanned ships will be dominated by the government and state-owned enterprises, and it will be even more difficult to start. Unmanned boats and unmanned vehicles are not the same. First, the scene of application will not be human travel. This is to avoid too much attention and less moral and safety restrictions. So maybe one day, when you haven’t noticed, there’s already an unmanned “ghost boat” on the sea.

Conclusion: The emergence of driverless technology has reduced the workload and difficulty of many industries, and has made indelible contributions to the development of smart cities. The combination of unmanned driving and shipping can reduce the chance of seafarers going into the sea and reduce the number of cabins and the weight of the hull itself. In the future, the “unmanned era” of drones, driverless cars, and unmanned ships will be worth the wait.

(Original title: The world’s first unmanned ship company was established, and the “unmanned era” of Trinity may be coming soon)