AV Zhi Fei, the first Chinese autonomous boxhip is ready to enter service, by as early as the next month, on a short-sea route, which connects Dongjiakou to Qingdao, says an article published on Marine Monk.
Previously conducted sea trails
The 300 TEU Chinese-built vessel has been developed jointly by the Dalian Maritime University, China Waterborne Transport Research Institute, and Navigation Brilliance (Qingdao) Technology.
The 5,000 DWT Zhi Fei can sail at a maximum speed of about 12 knots and has a length of 117 meters. Navigation Brilliance has previously conducted sea trials for a smaller autonomous vessel, named the Zhi Teng, which was successful. The company plans to order more autonomous vessels in the 500 to 800 TEU range, provided that Zhi Fei is successful.
Developed unmanned container ship
Previously, China’s Yunzhou Tech has partnered with Zhuhai Port Shipping, to develop a fleet of unmanned container ships, which are intended to be used primarily for coastal and river cargo transportation.
The ship set to sail
As reported by marinemonks earlier, the world’s first fully-electric crewless container ship, the Yara Birkeland is all set to sail by the end of 2021. The 120 TEU vessel is jointly developed by chemical company Yara International and Kongsberg Maritime and was built in the Norwegian shipyard Vard Brattvåg, a subsidiary of the Fincantieri group.
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Source: MarineMonk
