Drone Cargo Ships Are Coming

As if professional maritime jobs weren’t already in short supply, this summer attendees at an international shipping conference in Amsterdam were introduced to the very real possibility that a new breed of unmanned ‘drone’ cargo ships will be operational before the end of the decade.

We don’t doubt that the technology exists to accomplish this, but we had to wonder why shipping companies would even consider such a notion. According to a research document released recently by the Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative, "Unmanned ships open up exciting possibilities to redefine the way a ship is designed and functions. When there are no people on board, many constraints on the ship layout are removed. One of the most obvious is the removal of the accommodation and with that the entire deckhouse. This will save cost, weight and space, as well as enabling the ship to carry more cargo. A ship contains systems that are only there to serve the crew. Their removal will simplify the entire ship, which should improve the reliability and productivity while reducing build and operation costs."

Not surprisingly, it’s all about the bottom line. But the whole concept leaves us with a creepy feeling about offshore safety. After all, even now, what offshore sailor hasn’t tried to hail the bridge of an approaching freighter and found no one on the bridge — or awake — to reply? Would automated ships simply react to input from systems such as radar and AIS, or would communications from sailors and other non-commercial boaters have to be relayed to a ship’s land-based operators?

The idea of navigating California’s freeways alongside driverless cars already makes us a little edgy, but driverless cargo ships out on the high seas? Hmm… If you have thoughts on this subject email us here.