Remote-controlled and crewless: is this

the cargo ship of the future?

A computer-generated image of Rolls-Royce's remote-controlled cargo ship.

Image: Rolls-Royce

Written by
Rosamond Hutt, Formative Content
Tuesday 12 July 2016

The future of cargo transportation will be autonomous, according to Rolls-Royce, which has
revealed plans for a remote-controlled, unmanned ship that could take to the seas as early as
2020.
Image: Rolls-Royce

The company, better known for making luxury cars and jet engines, has published a white
paper setting out its vision for cargo vessels that can be monitored remotely by a captain
stationed at an on-shore command centre.

Outlining his vision at the Autonomous Ship Technology Symposium in Amsterdam recently,
Oskar Levander, Vice-President of Marine Innovation at Rolls-Royce, said: This is happening.
Its not if, its when. The technologies needed to make remote and autonomous ships a reality
exist.

The Rolls-Royce-led Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative (AAWA), which

brings together university researchers, ship designers and equipment manufacturers, has been
testing the technology in Finland.

Levander added: We will see a remote-controlled ship in commercial use by the end of the
decade.
Image: Rolls-Royce

However, before autonomous commercial vessels can be rolled out, there are regulatory and
security challenges to address, including piracy.

In principle, anybody skillful and capable to attain access into the ICT system could take
control of the ship and change its operation according to hackers objectives, the white paper
says.

This could mean simply some disruptive actions or maneuvers introduced for annoyance or
demonstration, hijacking of the ship and cargo for ransom, but also powered groundings or
collisions created on purpose to cause severe destruction.

Rolls-Royce says autonomous ships will be safer and cheaper to operate, with more room for
cargo. The European Union has funded a $4 million project to develop the concept and in 2014
shipping research firm DNV GL unveiled designs for a crewless cargo vessel.

Earlier this year, the US launched its first self-driving warship. Christened Sea Hunter, the
prototype is unarmed, but is capable of patrolling the surface of the worlds oceans for up to
three months at a time without a crew, and without being controlled remotely.

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Written by

Rosamond Hutt, Formative Content

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the World Economic Forum.

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