Mackey: Supporting the future of unmanned ships with intelligent interconnection

Also nearing completion is the two-year sea trial of MacGregor's first automatic mooring system, developed in close collaboration between MacGregor and Kongsberg Maritime. The system will be installed on the fully electric, 120TEU open-hatch feeder container vessel "Yara Birkeland," which will perform unmanned shuttle operations for Norwegian shipowner Yara International.

MacGregor will deliver the automatic mooring system by the end of this year, and the vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2020. "This container ship will gradually transition to unmanned operation before 2022, during which time Yara will test its automation capabilities." said Jon Høvik, Head of Mooring and Loading Technology, MacGregor Offshore Solutions.

"The two-year testing period is an integral part of the project, and we will all learn from it," he explained. "The automatic mooring system uses some of the capabilities of our merchant ship mooring systems and constant tension technology, but it is brand new and uses advanced robotics and sensors. This is an enabling technology that provides a piece of the puzzle, helping operators to perform port-to-port operations with smaller vessels without the need for crew."

During its service life, the "Yara Birkeland" will replace 40,000 truck trips per year. "If you consider this on a global scale, unmanned vessels like this can be used to replace trucks in densely populated areas, significantly reducing the environmental impact. Upon completion of system delivery and normal operation, it will demonstrate our ability to provide autonomous operation technology and robotic solutions for advanced operations, and show that even small operations can benefit from significant safety and efficiency improvements, before applying the technology to different manual operations." Mr. Høvik emphasized.

Transformative Customer Innovation

MacGregor's collaborative projects on autonomous operation technology go beyond the two cases mentioned above.

MacGregor's Director of Customer Solutions, Tommi Keskilohko, introduced, "Our goal is to lead the development, application, and implementation of transformative customer innovation."

MacGregor is involved in the One Sea project, a high-profile ecosystem whose main goal is to lead the development of autonomous, commercial cargo transportation at sea by 2025.

"Through multiple different collaborative projects with key stakeholders and improved collaborative processes, our goal is to accelerate the application of intelligent systems and autonomous operation technologies," Mr. Keskilohko explained. "These technologies, coupled with optimized cargo loading and handling operations, will improve the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of the shipping industry. Our extensive experience and knowledge in the efficiency of container ships throughout their lifecycle enable us to expand and accelerate development to achieve autonomous operation of ship cargo systems."

For MacGregor, this includes developing a practical digital agenda to help customers improve operational performance by increasing vessel revenue, improving operational efficiency, and reducing emissions per unit of cargo.

"We have clearly identified the value that can be created by applying or deploying specific digital technologies," Mr. Keskilohko continued. "For example, the proven MacGregor Cargo Boost service has benefited more than 100 in-service container ships. There is also our new general cargo optimization system, which supports data transparency and fact-based decision-making. It is well known that the loading and transportation of general cargo is inefficient, but through our insights, we can make the stowage and planning process faster and easier, thereby improving vessel utilization and customer operational performance."

New Roles in the Shipping and Offshore Industries

The shipping and offshore industries are strongly promoting industrial digitalization and increasingly adopting automated ship operations and offshore operation technologies, which leaves the question of what role humans will play in automated systems.

“The roles will change,” said Mr. Strandberg. “If operated correctly, autonomous operation can improve safety by eliminating human error, but the system cannot be self-sufficient. If there are no crew members on board to solve problems, then an unmanned autonomous vessel must either be exceptionally robust or offer a greater degree of redundancy than traditional vessels. Today, crew members still play a key role in managing the vessel's effective redundancy capabilities, so we cannot underestimate the risks associated with reduced or absent crew numbers.”

“So, who will be responsible for the remote control of the vessel?” he asked. “The technology is a challenge, but the legislation is an even bigger one. One thing is certain, a responsive team of expert support services will be needed, equipped with advanced remote monitoring systems to continuously monitor the integrity of the unmanned vessel.”