Japan preparing to launch self-driving cargo ships as soon as 2025

By Heather Hamilton, contributing writer

Autonomous cargo ships may soon sail the seas, according to Japan’s business newspaper Nikkei. Shipbuilders and shipping firms have combined resources to develop remote-controlled cargo ships that rely on artificial intelligence, and we may see them as soon as 2025, reports the Guardian.

Using the IoT, the ships will gather data, weather, and shipping information, as well as have the capacity to identify routes that are safer and more efficient. Participating companies believe that, by removing human error, this technology will drastically reduce the number of accidents that happen each year at sea.

Nikkei reports that Mitsui OSK Lines and Nippon Yusen are among the firms willing to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in the ships, of which there will be up to 250. The paper reports that this will boost Japan’s share of the global shipbuilding market, which has recently been in decline.

Last year, Rolls-Royce unveiled a similar plan. “We’re living in an ever-changing world where unmanned and remote-controlled transportation systems will become a common feature of human life,” said Liro Lindborg, General Manager, Remote & Autonomous Operations, Ship Intelligence at Rolls-Royce. “They offer unprecedented flexibility and operational efficiency. Our research aims to understand the human factors involved in monitoring and operating ships remotely. It identifies ways that crews ashore can use tools to get a realistic feel for what is happening at sea.”

Their ships would be manned by a crew of seven to 14 people who would control the fleet across the world via interactive smart screens, voice recognition systems, holograms, and surveillance drones. Rolls-Royce envisions that this fleet will be operational by 2035, 10 years after Japan’s fleet is set to sail.

Nikkei reports that the Japanese ships, unlike those from Rolls-Royce, will not be entirely unmanned.

Rolls-Royce and Japan aren’t alone — the European Union is funding unmanned maritime navigation, and Norway has announced plans to launch a fully autonomous electric cargo ship as soon as next year, which will carry cargo between three Norwegian ports. Initially, it will be manned, though the goal is to operate it remotely by 2019.

Last year, the U.S. Navy introduced Sea Hunter, a warship capable of self-driving for months at a time. Initially, the ship was designed to be a submarine hunter, but the military quickly discovered the ship’s flexibility, expanding its potential roles. Currently, Sea Hunter is undergoing testing to maximize its autonomous abilities. Then, it may find its way into Japan for trials. Robert Work, Deputy U.S. defense secretary said in an interview with Reuters that he’d like to see unmanned ships within five years.

And, while the idea of fully automated ships is pretty cool, there’s something more at stake in the world. Author Peter Singer, an expert on robotic warfare at the New American Foundation think tank, in an article on Reuters, emphasizes, “We’re not working on anti-submarine (technology) just because we think it’s cool. We're working on it because we’re deeply concerned about the advancements that China and Russia are making in this space.” 

Sources: Guardian, Rolls-Royce, Phys.org, The Verge, Reuters

Image Source: Pixabay