Ships shaping up as transport automation lead

This story first appeared in the January issue of EVtalk – CLICK HERE to download the magazine FREE

We hear a lot about automated cars, but automated vessels for maritime shipping will likely be a reality first.

In fact, some experts predict that remote-controlled ships will be in commercial use by the end of the decade and automation will continue to increase.

This could have a huge impact on New Zealand, especially if used for coastal shipping.

The big advantage of automated vessels will be the data that will be constantly available.

Another benefit will the improved working conditions for the “sailors”.
Imagine if they could log into a workstation and monitor vessel systems in real time – as if they were on the ship, then sign out and spend time with families once their shift is over.

As better systems of automation become available, the needs for remote control diminish.

It is likely that eventually, a few people can monitor and control a fleet of ships from their mobile devices.

A white paper by Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications (AAWA) called Remote and Autonomous Ships: The next steps highlights this vision.

According to the AAWA, the technology needed by remote and automated ships is already available.

Perhaps the most exciting impact of automated ships will be the opportunity to redefine the ship functionality and design.

Without onboard crew, many design requirements disappear, including the need for control and accommodation facilities.

This will simplify ship design, saving cost, weight, and space that can be used for more cargo.

Of course, for the near future, humans will still be needed for control in some situations, decision making, and planning.

According to the AAWA, this interaction can and should be done from land using remote communication tools.
This creates both risks and possibilities.

On one hand, this makes the vessels subject to remote hijacking; secure connections and the ability for automated systems to know which commands to trust and which to ignore is essential.

On the other hand, the availability of constant streams of rich data could have enormous consequences for the shipping industry.

Ship owners will be able to manage their fleet in real-time optimising operations and hence – profits.

The AAWA white paper highlighted four points that need to be addressed before automated ships can be realised.

The technology available needs to be tested in real world and simulated conditions to find necessary and optimal combinations.

The new and yet unidentified risks that will emerge when using autonomous systems need to be identified, assessed, and solved.

The legal and regulatory challenges related to operating autonomous vessels also needs to be explored.

In fact, this hurdle suggests that coastal shipping within jurisdictions that allow autonomous vessels will be seen first as trans-ocean shipping would likely require approval in multiple jurisdictions.

Finally, and most important, the business models need to be developed.
It has been suggested that remote or autonomous vessels can save about 15% in fuel costs simply by not having to cater to the crew.

This estimate is based upon the use of today’s vessels and business models.
The problem is that these savings would be mostly eroded by added refit costs and other ongoing technical costs.

What is needed is a complete rethink of the business model.

The AAWA group envisions remotely controlled vessels with ever increasing levels of autonomy.

Anther body of thought available in a white paper by futurenautics, titled Autonomous Ships, describes a different future.

One in which the business model of ever more massive ships is replaced by one in which shipping is done with many, smaller autonomous vessels that can be used for coastal shipping or trans-ocean shipping.

According to some, the expected economies of scale that were envisioned using mega ships is decreasing.
Some benefits of the mega ships, such as decreased environmental impact, are not being realised.

The problem with mega ships is the limited number of ports that can support them, requiring other forms of transport, usually over land, to solve the “last mile” problem.

This ends up reducing or removing the expected benefits.

The analogy used in the futurenautics paper is of the internet.
Initially, when data was required to be moved from computer to computer, a dedicated connection was created.

This prevented anyone else from using the connecting hardware, limiting use by others.

The internet today solves this problem by breaking the data into tiny parts and moving each part separately.

This allows many computers to use the connecting hardware at the same time because the small data packages can be divided in a way that is most optimal.

The shipping system of the future might evolve similarly, modern data processing and automation can be used to route goods individually to optimise their path to the destination in an integrated freight network.

Automation of transport is a singular problem that will have identical challenges regardless of the form of the vehicle being automated.

In fact, the greatest benefits will be seen when we stop thinking about automating the vehicles, and start considering how to automate the entire system.