Unmanned bulk carriers are here! The global shipping market is undergoing a dramatic upheaval.

2017-06-13 09:00

Numerous super-large unmanned ore carriers sailing between China and Australia. This scenario is no longer a dream and may soon become a reality. It's certain that the global shipping industry and the shipbuilding market will undergo a revolutionary transformation in the next 10 years.

BHP Billiton aims to create an "unmanned" bulk carrier fleet

BHP Billiton, the world's largest mining group, is developing super-large, automatically sailing "unmanned" bulk carriers for transporting iron ore, coal, and other minerals. BHP Billiton expects this technology to be realized within 10 years. Once implemented, this plan will revolutionize the global shipping market.

An article published on BHP Billiton's official website quotes Freight Vice President Rashpal Bhatti: "As the largest dry bulk shipper, our ideal future vision is to use our natural gas-powered, automatically sailing cargo ships to transport goods around the world. To achieve this goal, we are actively seeking technology partners."

It is understood that BHP Billiton transports approximately 250 million tons of iron ore, copper, and coal annually, requiring about 1,500 voyages. Once unmanned ships are put into use, it will save $86 billion in the iron ore transportation market alone. Further cost reductions will be achieved with the cooperation of unmanned trucks and trains.

A research consulting firm under the US IDC Group claims that, "Currently, the most suitable deployment route for automatically sailing cargo ships is the route from Australia to China. It only takes 10 days for iron ore to be transported from its origin to the destination port, which is enough to ensure that producers can respond quickly and in real-time to customer needs."

Achieving autonomous control of commercial maritime transport by 2025 has become a global goal.

BHP Billiton's desire to build an unmanned fleet clearly shows its optimism for the future market. With the proposal of China's "Belt and Road" initiative, the global demand for various raw materials will experience an explosive surge. Steel consumption alone will increase by approximately 150 million tons, and infrastructure construction related to the Belt and Road will cost over $1.3 trillion. According to Credit Suisse, over $300 billion will be invested in 62 countries and regions along the Belt and Road within the next five years. Such a huge market opportunity will undoubtedly attract BHP Billiton's participation.

Sharing BHP Billiton's view, another mining giant, Rio Tinto, recently stated that it will establish an unmanned truck fleet and will fully deploy unmanned automated trains in Western Australia by the end of next year, with shipping as its next target. In 2016, Rio Tinto's fleet transported 281 million tons of cargo, making it the world's largest dry bulk sea freight company. The company currently operates 17 owned vessels and has also signed leases for 200 vessels.

Ornulf Jan Rodseth, a scientist at the Norwegian Institute of Science and Technology (Sintef), recently stated in an email that autonomous sailing vessels will change the design and operation of transportation systems. If freight users, including BHP Billiton, adopt this technology to build a new fleet of dedicated vessels, it will cause traditional shipping companies and operators to lose business. For traditional shipping operators, this will undoubtedly be a devastating blow.

Image: Rolls-Royce's concept of an automatic unmanned cargo ship shore-based control center

European and Japanese companies have recently been cooperating to advance the development of unmanned ships with government support, aiming to achieve autonomous control of commercial maritime transport by 2025.

Mikael Makinen, President of Rolls-Royce's Maritime division, previously stated that unmanned ships are as disruptive as smartphones and will fundamentally change the landscape of ship design and operation.

When users realize the enormous value of a new technology, market development will certainly be faster than imagined. It has been nearly 10 years since the global financial crisis of 2008, and the shipping industry will undergo a revolutionary transformation in the next 10 years. In this transformation, ship owners, shipyards, ship design companies, and ship suppliers will all face a complete reshuffle. The renewal of tens of thousands of ships in the future will also bring new opportunities to the shipbuilding market. However, European shipbuilders are clearly far ahead in core technologies. 。

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