- Now, the next big technological change the maritime industry is looking forward to is the introduction of “autonomous ships”.
- Though autonomous ships are the talk of the town for quite a while now, the industry still looms under many confusions and questions regarding these types of ships.
- The ship owners and management companies are cautious in implementing or even trying out this technology so far.
- Most of the companies and owners are waiting for others to go ahead first to explore any opportunities presented by this technology.
A recently published article in The Maritime Post, highlights both the pros and cons of autonomous ships in the shipping industry. There has been a considerable amount of support for both the positives and negatives of introducing an autonomous ship in the future. Let us have a look at both of these and see what the industry players feel about it.
The need of automation onboard ships
In the 21st century, the world is witnessing digitalization at a rapid rate and use of technology even in the remotest corners of the globe. The use of Artificial Intelligence is increasing exponentially in almost every sector. One cannot undermine the need of digitalization, use of latest technology and automation onboard ships to ensure the relevance of maritime sector in coming few years.
Many big companies like NYK, Maersk, etc are investing in the research and development of autonomous ships.
The challenges around automation and digitalization
- High Initial costs.
- To get the necessary approvals.
- Need to amend existing regulations or create new ones.
- The infancy of the concept.
- The need for increased cybersecurity.
- Reliability of the technology.
- Robust ship maintenance plans in the absence of seafarers.
- Safety concerns over implementation as the transition from manned ship to autonomous will not be immediate but slow and initially these type of ships will sail alongside manned ships.
Foreseeable advantages
- Minimizing ships’ turn-around and cargo handling time at ports for customers’ satisfaction.
- Less requirement of man-power, thereby saving the manning costs for the owners.
- Increased safety at sea, as most of the accidents in recent history, were a result of “human error”.
- Achieving better fuel efficiency thus having a positive impact on the environment.
- It is also argued that the autonomous ships will help in decreasing the piracy activity.
Let us prepare for this change
As a seafarer, whether we like it or not, autonomous ships will be a reality in the coming future. Of course, it can take 20 years or maybe 50 years for the autonomous ships to completely come into existence but we should prepare ourselves for this change.
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Source: The Maritime Post
