Rolls Royce Holding is currently studying the possibility of launching autonomous cargo ships, i.e. they would operate without crew, controlled from land by a control post. Utopia?
Robotic cargo ships for significant savings
Equipped with cameras and sensors, the boats could thus distinguish and avoid all the dangers of the sea and connected computers would optimize navigation costs. This project, which according to the Norwegian company would save the freight industry 375 billion dollars, has a bright future ahead of it. In order to begin studying the possibilities of remote navigation, Rolls Royce has installed in its offices a prototype control station that simulates a 360° view from the deck of the boat. This system would, in the future, allow ship captains to command from land.
The builder explains that these boats would be safer and less expensive and polluting than current cargo ships. This revolutionary project could see the light of day fairly quickly, according to Oskar Levander, Rolls Royce's vice-president of maritime innovation, who plans to deploy the fleet in the Baltic Sea over the next ten years. Thanks to a refitted structure and a missing crew, more space would be available for freight and many savings could be made, boats would be lighter and would consume much less - between 12 and 15% of fuel savings achieved.
An existing technology to deploy
From a technological point of view, the project is quite feasible since autonomous boats already exist. First of all the MUNIN project which is working on a similar project for robotised cargo ships, but also the Sterren Du, a boat without a pilot belonging to the French army or the world cup for sailing robots which took place in Brest last year.
A feasible project?
Even if we have just seen that everything leads us to believe that these cargo robots will soon be sailing our seas, is this really an idea to be put into practice? While this project would generate significant gains, at a time when the crisis is in full swing and the unemployment rate is not falling, how would the idea of cutting jobs be perceived? What do you think of that?
Not to mention the current regulations, with which the project is totally incompatible..
