We have uncrewed aerial vehicles and self-driving cars, why not autonomous ships? The first fully autonomous ferry was deployed in Finland. Companies are investing in projects to build other fully autonomous ships as well as autonomous technologies to retrofit existing vessels. Learn what's on the horizon for autonomous ships.

1. The Incredible
Autonomous Ships
Of The Future:
Run By AI
Rather Than A Crew

2. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Title
Text
IntroductionIntroduction
There has been a lot of discussion about autonomous vehicles on the land
and in the air, but what about on the sea? While the world got the first
glimpse of a fully autonomous ferry thanks to the collaboration between Rolls-
Royce and Finferries, the state-owned ferry operator of Finland, there’s still
quite a bit of work to be done before we can expect the world’s waterways to
be overtaken with autonomous vessels.
The Incredible Autonomous Ships
Of The Future:
Run By AI Rather Than A Crew

3. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Even though we might be years or even decades away from the majority of vessels becoming
autonomous, there are certainly artificial intelligence algorithms at work today. A fully
autonomous ship would be considered a vessel that can operate on its own without a crew.
Remote ships are those that are operated by a human from shore, and an automated ship
runs software that manages its movements.
As the technology matures, more types of ships will likely transition from being manned to
having some autonomous capabilities. Autonomous ships might be used for some
applications, but it's quite possible that there will still be crew onboard some ships even if all
hurdles to acquiring a fully autonomous fleet are crossed.
Levels of Autonomy

4. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
As we saw with the Finnish ferry, the first autonomous ships will be deployed on simple inland
or coastal liner applications where waters are calm, the route is simple, and there isn't much
traffic.
There’s also an inland electric container ship, Yara Birkeland, under construction that is
expected to be completed in 2020 and fully autonomous by 2022. Some companies are
building fully autonomous ships from scratch, while other start-ups are developing semi-
autonomous systems to be used on existing vessels. When Rolls-Royce sold its autonomous
maritime division to Kongsberg, it gave the Norwegian company a boost in its goal of being a
leader in the autonomous shipping industry. Samsung is another company that uses machine
learning, augmented reality, analytics, and more to create a smart shipping platform through
its Samsung Heavy Industries division.
Existing cargo ships have the chance to get retrofitted with autonomous technologies thanks
to the efforts of start-ups such as San Francisco-based Shone. Shone’s technology helps crews
with piloting assistance and to detect and predict the movement of other vessels in the
waterway.
Autonomy in Ships

5. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Just as artificial intelligence and autonomy promise in other applications, it is expected that
autonomous ships can improve safety, increase efficiency, and relieve humans from unsafe
and repetitive tasks.
According to a study by Allianz, between 75% and 96% of maritime accidents are caused by
human error. If autonomous and semi-autonomous systems can help reduce the reliance on
humans that can make mistakes due to fatigue or bad judgment, autonomous ships could
eventually make our oceans safer. Even if a crew is on board, the data gathered from the
ship’s sensors combined with artificial intelligence algorithms will help the crew make better-
informed decisions.
A reduction or elimination of crew reduces the personnel and auxiliary costs (such as onboard
provisions and insurance) on a voyage. Typically, crew-related expenses account for 30% of
the budget. There are also efficiencies realized in ship design and use of fuel. One study
projected savings of more than $7 million over 25 years per autonomous vessel from fuel
savings and crew supplies and salaries.
Benefits of Autonomous Ships

6. © 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Since there are significant safety concerns especially with the enormous size of most ships
operating in congested waters, there is a lot more testing to be done and regulations to be
sorted out before we will see fully autonomous vessels operating without a crew. Much more
likely is that automated technologies will be used to reduce crews and to help the crew
onboard make effective decisions. In addition to ensuring the safety of ships, there needs to
be a resolution about the regulation of our shared water. Existing international conventions
were created under the assumption a crew would be on board. In response, the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) has kicked off its work to assess and update conventions to
ensure safety in a new reality when AI is the captain instead of humans.
Until there is significant interest in fast-tracking research, development, and updates to
regulations for autonomous ships, the industry will likely learn from the decisions made on
land regarding autonomous cars and then apply that to autonomous ships. Adoption and
acceptance of autonomous cars in the coming years may put pressure on finding the same
solutions for the sea.
Hurdles to Overcome

7. © 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website
© 2017 Bernard Marr , Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
© 2018 Bernard Marr, Bernard Marr & Co. All rights reserved
Bernard Marr is an internationally best-selling author, popular keynote speaker, futurist, and a
strategic business & technology advisor to governments and companies. He helps
organisations improve their business performance, use data more intelligently, and
understand the implications of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data,
blockchains, and the Internet of Things.
LinkedIn has ranked Bernard as one of the world’s top 5 business influencers. He is a frequent
contributor to the World Economic Forum and writes a regular column for Forbes. Every day
Bernard actively engages his 1.5 million social media followers and shares content that
reaches millions of readers.
Visit The
Website

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