When it comes to unmanned systems, robotic cars and copters or robotic taxis are usually remembered, forgetting about ships. In fact, businesses need robotic vessels for various purposes even more than robotic ships or flying drones, as about 90% of commercial traffic flows by sea. At the same time, automation of marine vehicles is not as active as cars, but the progress is already noticeable today. According to the forecast of the Rolls-Royce company, if not fully automatic, then at least semi-autonomous vessels will be launched on sea routes in 2020.
Unmanned ships have ceased to be fantastic. A couple of years ago, the automated ship was presented by Kongsberg, today similar projects are being developed in Russia, China and Europe. In the majority of cases commercial enterprises are working, and business is more and more interested in the potential of such technologies.
Why does the business need marine drones?
- Reduction of operating expenses
If the ship's crew becomes smaller or no longer necessary, the shipping company will be able to significantly reduce its costs. The personnel are always additional safety systems, compliance with certain working conditions, maintenance and medical expenses. All this is not cheap for companies.
In addition, shipowners are now spending significant amounts of money on fuel purchases. The marine transporter, which works on a diesel engine, only uses about five tons of fuel per day to park in the port. If you use a computer system that can predict the consumption of diesel, the amount of fuel burned can be reduced from five to two tons. The introduction of a similar system on the transport refrigerator "Progress" reduced the operating costs by 2 million rubles for each month of navigation of the ship. As a result, 42 tons of fuel oil and 6 tons of diesel fuel are saved every month.
- Increasing the speed of delivery of goods
The unmanned vessel will be equipped with the most modern systems, which means implementation of AI technologies, predictive analytics and other possibilities. For example, the AI will be able to analyze the surrounding factors, paving the way for an optimal course. With the prediction of approaching adverse weather conditions, the vessel will be able to follow a different path, avoiding collisions, such as hurricanes.
In addition, predictive systems will allow for timely change of obsolete structural elements and optimization of fuel consumption. All of these measures will avoid unnecessary travel delays and ensure that you reach your destination just in time.
- Enhancing team safety
The ships are now managed by a team of people, in some cases very extensive. They are all on board and therefore exposed to various risks. If the ship functions autonomously, a small team of operators will be able to monitor its operation and route. They will not be on board, but in a specialized control center on the shore.
This is one of the main reasons why any shipping company would prefer an automated ship to a conventional team-controlled transporter. So there is no need to worry about what is happening on board and the condition of the crew.
- Reducing the number of accidents and related losses
Insurance company Allianz estimates annual losses of shipowners in 40-50 transport ships. At the same time, 75% to 96% of accidents are human-related and only a few of the vessels sink due to external factors, such as storms. One example is the Asian Lily refrigerated vessel, which was grounded a few years ago. The cause of the accident was the pilot's mistake in laying the way. In 2013, due to the captain's mistake in the Sea of Japan, the Russian "Chance 101" crawler was overturned. In 2015, another captain's mistake resulted in the death of the El Faro container ship and the death of the entire 33-man team.
Pilots' and captains' mistakes lead to the wreckage of ships and the death of dozens of people - crew members. If the ships become completely unmanned, the human factor will disappear and, as analysts predict, accidents will be much less.
Not fantastic, but reality
The first drones at sea already exist. Many companies are developing them.
Kongsberg and Yara. Indeed, the companies have managed to create a marine drone of the future. The automated ship is called Yara Birkeland and its cost was $25 million. According to the company's representatives, the initial investment will be repaid fairly quickly, as the ship will provide an opportunity to save up to 90% of all operating costs. The drone operates on electricity and is able to move around other ships and moore in port on its own. There is a small team of specialists on board who ensure that all systems work properly. But from 2020 the ship is planned to be transferred to a fully autonomous mode.
Nippon Yusen. This Japanese company develops "autopilot" for cargo ships. They are also able to travel by themselves on their own, analyzing external factors such as the proximity of other ships and the possibility of collision. Using this technology, the creators plan to build several hundred autonomous vessels Japan Marine United at once.
Rolls-Royce Holdings. Together with Intel, the company is developing shipping systems to ensure the autonomy of merchant ships. Rolls-Royce believes that over time the number of people on board will be reduced, and completely unmanned systems will appear by 2025. In the near future, hundreds of different commercial vessels will be equipped with the Intelligent Awareness collision warning system, which is only the first step on the way to marine drones.
Bourbon. This is another company that has participated in the development of automatic marine transporters, participating in an international project. In the next few years, the fleet of 500 ships will be significantly supplemented by robotic ships. The company participates in the project, whose members are representatives of several countries.
Problems
The development of technologies in the field of marine drones is obvious - there have already been some successes in this area. But there are still several factors that hinder progress at sea.
- The impossibility of introducing 100% automation. At the current level of development of unmanned technologies it is impossible to fully automate ships. In most cases, it is a combination of autopilot and remote control, when a team of operators, including the captain, monitors the movement and operation of drone systems from the shore. It is possible that in 10 years fully autonomous vessels will appear, but this is not yet possible.
- Lack of reliable communication on all offshore routes. Remote control of the ship requires reliable communication throughout the entire route. This is not yet achievable, as many sea routes do not have communication coverage. Probably, this problem will be solved after the beginning of work of global satellite systems from SpaceX and OneWeb.
- There is no full-fledged regulatory system in place. As drones are not enough yet, standards and regulations have not been developed for them. Correspondingly, drones cannot yet be allowed to operate in a full-fledged manner, for example, by transporting cargo along a long route. UAVs will be able to operate fully only after the "maritime countries" agree to regulate this sphere.
- Cyber security problems. An autonomous vessel is a valuable object for intruders. There is no doubt that after the first drones appear in the sea, cybercriminals will try their best to intercept control or damage the transporter. So far, the necessary cyber threat protection systems are still under development.
Despite all these problems, experts predict that the first commercial unmanned aerial vehicles will be at sea in the next five years. Most likely, they will be crew-controlled vehicles from the shore. But full-fledged marine drones will appear at sea not earlier than in 10-20 years: for this purpose it is necessary to solve a number of issues related to communication technologies, safety and regulation.