A look into the near future of autonomous shipbuilding.
The autonomous revolution will not be limited to highways. The oceans will soon be filled with ships without a skipper at the helm, safe, innovative vessels that look like they’ve stepped out of the pages of science fiction. We are in for a future in which all ships, from warships to ferries and cargo ships, will have some degree of intelligence. Such smart vessels will be able to independently make long raids, coping with storms and avoiding collisions – without human intervention. As a result, shipping companies will be able to replace their giant container cargo ships with fleets of smaller, more fuel-efficient ships. Command centers to monitor and control these ships will appear in ports around the world.
With the world almost ready for the mass production of driverless cars, the shipping industry is working to implement similar technology in the hope that replacing traditional crewed ships with autonomous ones will bring huge economic benefits.
INNOVATION IN ROTTERDAM
The Port of Rotterdam, one of the largest ports in the world, has a long history of collaboration with tech companies working on robotic ships that will bring safety by preventing possible collisions at sea, streamline ship traffic in an overloaded port and solve the problem of labor shortages.
Here in the port of Rotterdam, Dutch startup Captain AI is at the forefront of a revolution. The former shipyard Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) is now home to a range of private sector start-ups in education and research, including Captain AI.
Using a state-of-the-art harbor patrol ship, deep learning algorithms and a computer simulator created by the Dutch company VSTEP, which was originally designed to train captains, the startup is developing and testing a system for autonomous ship propulsion that can be adapted to any type of vessel, large or small. The simulator allows you to apply data from ports around the world, and can also be used for different types of vessels – from tugs to tankers, cargo ships and warships.
“Our work is like a jigsaw puzzle that already has all the pieces to put together,” said Vincent Wegner, CEO of Captain AI, of developing systems for autonomous ships. “All the hardware and software is there, it’s all being developed and it’s getting cheaper, more and more data is open source so that we can use it in production and make a real breakthrough.”
FLOATING LABORATORY
At the end of 2017, Captain AI successfully demonstrated a modernized water taxi, one of the most popular types of water transport in Rotterdam. And already this summer, the company will send the floating laboratory of Rotterdam to the sea, a patrol ship that has become an autonomous vessel – without a skipper at the helm.
From the outside, the 57-foot vessel looks unremarkable, except for the CCTV cameras installed on the bridge. The boat is equipped with a special digital GPS system that provides more accurate position readings than standard GPS, along with sensors that monitor engine operation and steering. All data about the ship is sent to computers, the operation of which is controlled on board and on land.
The Port Authority provided the ship as a test bed for university research groups and start-ups to accelerate the transition to the era of automation and explore other ways to optimize the global shipping industry to reduce harmful emissions.
The floating laboratory’s first autonomous voyage will set off a series of tests that will get harder and longer.
AUTONOMOUS VESSEL TECHNOLOGIES ARE DEVELOPING AT LIGHTNING SPEED
Captain AI isn’t the only company in the global race to develop autonomous commercial ships. For example, the Norwegian company Massterly offers a range of products for autonomous vehicles, from control systems to ship design systems.
In addition, an autonomous container ship Yara Birkeland is being built in Norway, which is due to be launched this year. Yara Birkeland will be the world’s first fully autonomous vessel for commercial use. The logistical concept of the project provides for operations at industrial sites, in the port and work on the ship. The dimensions of Yara Birkeland are: length 80 meters, width 14.8 meters, side height 12 meters, draft 5 meters. The container ship is equipped with electric motors. Batteries rated at 7.0-9.0 MWh will power the electric motors for an optimum speed of 6 knots (11 km/h) and a top speed of 10 knots (19 km/h). The capacity of a container ship is 120 TEUs. Cost – $ 25 million, the project was developed by Marin Teknikk, navigation equipment is supplied by Kongsberg Maritime. The container ship will operate on two routes between Heroya and Brevik (7 nautical miles (13 km)) and between Heroya and Larvik (30 nautical miles (56 km)), carrying chemicals and fertilizers. Initially, the ship will be tested with a crew on board, and in 2020 the ship will gain full autonomy.
SHIP MODERNIZATION
The introduction of new technology means that in order for the vessel to become autonomous, it will only be necessary to install the necessary equipment. Upgrading the vessel to fully autonomous will require approximately $20,000 to $35,000. This is a relatively small investment if it eliminates the need for a captain or crew. At the same time, the likelihood of staff cuts increases, but new jobs will also appear. Shipping companies will need technicians to work with hardware and software, while ports will need shore captains to monitor vessel movements and coordinate flights. Tankers and container ships engaged in maritime cargo transportation will still need crews to service engines. But small short-range ships can become completely autonomous, and living quarters on ships can be redesigned to increase the cargo capacity of ships.
In the short term, Captain AI envisions the introduction of automation that will help operate small craft, such as Rotterdam’s water taxis, efficiently, especially in foggy conditions. Vessels used to transport waste, various materials or other cargo could also become fully automated.
Autonomous ocean-going ships may become a reality within the next two years, but international regulations requiring crewed ships could slow the spread of such ships on a global scale. If the Captain AI project proves to be effective and local laws adapt quickly, Rotterdam could be the first port where autonomous ships become common practice, not fantasy.
The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe and one of the largest ports in the world in terms of cargo turnover (444 million tons in 2014), located in the city of Rotterdam, South Holland (Netherlands), at the mouths of the rivers Rhine and Meuse. The area of the port is 105 square kilometers, its length is 40 kilometers. More than 150 AGVs (automatically guided vehicles), including robotic cranes, are successfully operating in the port terminals. Rotterdam consists of five separate port areas and three logistics parks.
Based on NBC News and Kongsberg Gruppen and open sources.