By Robert Wall in London and Costas Paris in New York
"All hands on deck" may become a thing of the past.
Ship designers, their operators and regulators are gearing up
for a future in which cargo vessels sail the oceans with minimal or
even no crew. Advances in automation and ample bandwidth even far
offshore could herald the biggest change in shipping since diesel
engines replaced steam.
Ship operators believe more automation will enable them to
optimize ship use, including cutting fuel consumption. "The benefit
of automation is as an enabler of further efficiency across the 630
vessels we operate," said Palle Laursen, head of Maersk Line Ship
Management, a unit of cargo-ship giant A.P. Moeller-Maersk A/S.
British engine maker Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC is leading the
Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications initiative involving
other companies and universities. It foresees technologies long
used to improve commercial airline operations migrating to ships.
The group also is tapping know-how from those working on driverless
cars to adapt for safe at-sea autonomous operations.
A future unmanned ship could resemble some of the most advanced
combat drones. It would sport infrared detectors, high-resolution
cameras and laser sensors to monitor its surroundings. The vast
troves of data would be transmitted to command centers where staff
do little more than monitor progress and ensure ships are operating
at optimum speeds.
The consortium completed a study this year that concluded such
vessels are feasible and offer savings.
Oskar Levander, vice president for innovation at Rolls-Royce's
marine unit, said moving toward greater autonomy and unmanned
shipping could cut transport costs 22%. The bulk would come from
lower staff costs, though such vessels also would be more fuel
efficient by eliminating the need to carry equipment to support
people onboard.
The first steps already are being taken. The Stella ferry, used
in the Baltic and operated by Finferries, has been equipped with a
variety of sensors including lasers and thermal cameras to assess
whether such sensors could allow autonomous operations.
A critical step toward floating remotely controlled unmanned
cargo ships on the oceans by 2030, and autonomous ones by 2035, is
the ability to pass large amounts of data from ship to shore to
ensure safe operations. For years, lack of affordable bandwidth has
made that a challenge. A new generation of communications
satellites is promising lower costs to transfer data.
Satellite-services company Inmarsat PLC this year launched its
Fleet Xpress service to provide improved connectivity to ship
operators. It combines high-bandwidth satellites with a more secure
connection to guarantee vital safety connectivity. Ronald Spithout,
president of Inmarsat's maritime business, said the connection will
let operators monitor engine and other ship functions more closely
to enable enhanced automation.
Rolls-Royce, no longer affiliated with the luxury car maker, is
betting that a push to smarter vessels will lift the fortunes of
its struggling marine business. The prolonged slump in crude prices
has led to a sharp drop in demand for sophisticated offshore
vessels. Marine sales at Rolls-Royce fell 23% last year after
declining 16% the prior year when oil prices started to slump.
Oil prices may rebound, but the demand for the gold-plated
vessels used to service oil and gas rigs far offshore may never
fully recover, said Mikael Makinen, president of Rolls-Royce's
marine division. Rolls-Royce is betting smart ships will be a new
growth market.
The company is already in talks with operators it wouldn't name
to start trials of more autonomous vessels.
Automating shipping faces barriers, though. "There are a vast
range of safety, security, navigational and legal challenges to be
solved before crewless container vessels can be considered in our
fleet," said Maersk's Mr. Laursen.
The International Maritime Organization, the arm of the United
Nations overseeing global shipping, prohibits ship operations
without crew. The International Convention for the Safety of Life
at Sea, known as Solas, requires all ships to be "sufficiently and
efficiently manned," the IMO said.
Safety rules emerged in 1914 in the wake of the sinking of the
RMS Titanic two years earlier, which killed more than 1,500
passengers on the ship's maiden trans-Atlantic voyage. Current
rules, completed in 1974, have been adapted for new technologies
such as introducing mandatory requirements for electronic charts
and automatic identification systems for ships. Proponents of
greater autonomy hope the rules may be further relaxed.
Separately, it is unclear as of yet how security issues like
piracy and the mandate to help distressed ships will be addressed
for these ships
IMO spokeswoman Natasha Brown said the British
government-sponsored Marine Autonomous Systems Regulatory Working
Group, set up in 2014, is reviewing pertinent regulations to
potentially propose changes.
James Fanshawe, chairman of the working group, said it hopes to
convince the international organization to pave the way for
autonomous vessels before the end of the decade.
Capt. Thanasis Apostolopoulos, head of crews at Athens-based
Springfield Shipping Co. and a sailor for 17 years, said the drive
to unmanned ships may be inevitable. "It will be a sad day for
seafarers when it happens," he said.
Write to Robert Wall at robert.wall@wsj.com and Costas Paris at
costas.paris@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 31, 2016 05:44 ET (09:44 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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