Countdown! The era of "unmanned vessels" in the shipping industry is approaching

Driverless, unmanned loading and unloading - with the world's first fully automated container ship about to fully realize unmanned operation, the shipping industry's "unmanned ship" era is officially entering the countdown.

Without any crew members, the "Yara Birkeland" will achieve automatic driving and automatic loading and unloading within two years.

According to BBC reports, the "Yara Birkeland," a zero-emission, fully automated container ship jointly built by European shipbuilders, was put into operation last year. Currently, there are 5 crew members on board, and the number of crew members will be further reduced to 2 by the end of this year. In another two years, the ship will completely remove the bridge and have no crew members.

Captain Svend Ødegård of the "Yara Birkeland" introduced: "We are taking an important step towards autonomous navigation. This ship is equipped with many technologies that are not available on existing vessels. We have installed situational awareness cameras on the sides, front, and rear of the ship, which can determine whether to change course."

Ultimately, the "Yara Birkeland" will navigate with the assistance of sensors including radar and cameras, which will input data into artificial intelligence, allowing the AI to detect and classify水上障碍物. The captain's work will be transferred to land, in a remote operation center 80 kilometers away, where multiple ships may be monitored simultaneously. If necessary, humans can intervene by sending commands to change speed and course.

According to International Ship Network, the "Yara Birkeland" is an 80-meter-long pure electric container ship built by the Norwegian shipyard VARD, using Marin Teknikk's MT207 design. It is 80 meters long and 15 meters wide, capable of carrying 120 20-foot standard containers, with a normal speed of 6 knots and a maximum speed of 13 knots.

In addition to autonomous driving, the "Yara Birkeland" can even achieve automatic unloading. In 2018, Yara reached an agreement with Kalmar, a subsidiary of Cargotec, to provide an automated loading and unloading solution between fertilizer production equipment and the dock for the "Yara Birkeland."

Kalmar will provide Yara with a fully automated equipment, software, and service solution for its unique fully digital container handling solution at the Porsgrunn plant in Norway. This means that all necessary operations related to the world's first fully automated container ship, "Yara Birkeland," will be carried out in a completely autonomous, low-cost, and zero-emission manner.

In addition, the "Yara Birkeland" is equipped with an automatic mooring system from MacGregor, a subsidiary of Cargotec. This system can perform mooring operations without human intervention, supporting efficient operation of fully electric, zero-emission vessels.

Thanks to its cooperation with Kalmar, the "Yara Birkeland" is not only the world's first pure electric autonomous container ship but also the world's first fully digital and electrified supply chain. All operations, including loading and unloading and navigation, are carried out in a completely autonomous manner and achieve zero emissions.

"Unmanned ships" will significantly save costs. Could the progress of autonomous shipping be faster than autonomous cars?

As the world's first fully automated, zero-emission container ship, the "Yara Birkeland" was officially completed and delivered at the end of 2020. After a series of tests, it completed its maiden voyage in November 2021 and officially began operations in 2022.

According to the International Ship Network, the ship is used to transport fertilizers from the owner Yara International's Porsgrunn plant in Norway along the fjord to Brevik port. It sails twice a week on the Porsgrunn-Brevik route, transporting up to 100 containers and collecting data along the 13-kilometer route. This type of short-distance, fixed-route operation provides a good opportunity for the introduction of autonomous ship technology.

The "Yara Birkeland" uses advanced technology developed and delivered by Kongsberg Maritime, including sensors and integration required for remote control and unmanned autonomous operation, as well as electric propulsion, batteries, and control systems.

The ship will be operated by Massterly, the world's first unmanned ship company jointly established by Kongsberg Maritime and Wilhelmsen, from its monitoring and operation center in Horten. It is understood that Massterly was established in August 2018, aiming to provide a series of value chain services for unmanned ships, including design and development, control systems, logistics services, and ships.

In addition to the "Yara Birkeland," Kongsberg Maritime is currently cooperating with the Norwegian food grocery wholesaler Asko to develop two more battery-powered autonomous barges in the Oslofjord and will develop a fourth small container ship near Ålesund.

For shipping companies, "unmanned ships" do not require crew members, which can significantly save costs. Bjørn Jalving, Senior Vice President of Kongsberg Technology Department, said that a team can manage multiple unmanned ships simultaneously, and crew members are also safer on land than at sea. In addition, without crew members, ships can also have more cargo capacity because they no longer need to be equipped with living areas, kitchens, heating, air conditioning, and other systems.

Kongsberg has been scaling up technology for larger vessels. Jalving believes that the ultimate limitation will not be a technical issue, but making the vessels safe and reliable while complying with regulations and providing good business for operators.

Most people are still skeptical about whether large unmanned ships can be put into operation for ocean voyages in the short term. Marius Tannum, Associate Professor of Applied Autonomy at the University of Southeast Norway, said: "Legal challenges must be addressed first. Then, the ships need robust energy and maintenance systems that require very little maintenance."

Tannum predicts that the progress of autonomous shipping may be faster than autonomous cars and trucks. He pointed out: "Autonomous cars approaching dynamic and static obstacles at high speeds, with varying road conditions, the complexity faced by cars in regular traffic is more challenging than ships. In contrast, unmanned ships with fixed routes and remote operation centers will have lower operational risks than unmanned autonomous trucks traveling in regular traffic."