Regulations chase the coming wave of remote-controlled vessels

Bureau Veritas, which has developed its own guidelines, agrees with BIMCO that, as the class society puts it, “the regulatory landscape supporting its safe development is still in flux,” noting that large merchant ships “have yet to move beyond a basic level of autonomy because of high costs and concerns about cyber and operational risks.”

Also, the society adds, it is important to make a distinction between automated and autonomous. While the first means the vessel can accomplish a specific and well-defined function, the second requires it to virtually think. That is, self-sufficiently learn, adjust and evolve in response to dynamic environments.

Perhaps IMO’s imminent Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) code will answer all the issues. Due for completion by 2025 and mandatory by 2028, it is intended to be flexible enough to encompass technologies that have not yet appeared.

Meantime, one of current leaders in lean-crewed vessels, Ocean Infinity, expects to take delivery from 2025 of the first of six 85-m optionally crewed robotic vessels. Built by Vard in Vietnam, they will be deployed offshore along with Ocean Infinity’s current fleet of nine 21-m and 36-m vessels, and eight 78-m ships.

For its pioneering efforts, Ocean Infinity was named the winner of OSJ’s Offshore Renewables Award in 2024.

Taking a global view, Ocean Infinity announced in early 2024 that it would open a robotic ship operations centre in Tasmania. The Austin, Texas company already has centres in the UK and Sweden and intends to open another in Singapore. At least for a start, the Hobart-based operation will run lean-crewed 36-m hydrographic vessels, as it is doing elsewhere.

“[The 78-m vessels] will allow for onshore remote-controlled, lean-crewed and eventually uncrewed operations,” the company said. Ocean Infinity also refers to “optionally crewed robotic vessels” running on a skeleton crew that “will in due course be capable of working with no personnel offshore”.

In a big first step for the company, in April 2024 Shell signed a five-year deal with Ocean Infinity for skeleton-crewed hydrographic vessels, for which all data processing and payload controls are handled onshore.

“Large merchant ships have yet to move beyond a basic level of autonomy”

In other developments, in September 2024, aluminium specialist Austal and another Australian group, Greenroom Robotics, announced a collaboration on what Austal’s chief technology officer, Dr Glenn Callow, describes as “practical remote and autonomous solutions that may be applied to any watercraft designed or built by Austal.” This follows a successful partnership for the Royal Australian Navy in a pilot autonomy test using a decommissioned 57-m patrol boat.

These and other projects follow in the wake of Yara Birkeland, the autonomous – and zero-emissions – bulk carrier that has been transporting fertiliser between the port of Brevik in Norway and a Yara group plant in Porsgrunn for the last four years. The vessel has a maximum speed of 15 knots and a cargo capacity of 120 TEUs.

Yet, while the proponents of autonomous vessels highlight their efficiency, lower fuel consumption, leaner crews and higher profits, Bureau Veritas thinks otherwise. “We would argue strongly that the number one benefit of increasing ship autonomy is safety,” says the class society, citing the European Maritime Safety Agency that attributes more than 80% of shipboard accidents to human error.

Looking ahead, Bureau Veritas predicts: “It is likely that small- to medium-sized vessels operating in national waters will be supervised by a person on shore.” Crews won’t so much be replaced, as unions fear, but be given new and perhaps more congenial roles.

This appears to be where Fjord1 is headed. Fjord1 has contracted Norwegian Electric Systems (NES), a HAV Group subsidiary, to develop systems for the automation of vessel functions and autonomous navigation for the four zero-emissions ferries.

In close collaboration with Fjord1, NES will develop and deliver the systems for the automation of vessel functions and autonomous navigation, including autocrossing and autodocking, which will replace some manual operations on board.

Taking things steadily, it is aiming for full automation and navigation from 2027, with autonomous-only sailing slated for 2028. At that point, a land-based control centre will take over.