UK transport secretary Chris Grayling outlined his vision for unmanned shipping and Kongsberg Maritime discusses remote control vessels
Autonomous vessels and artificial intelligence are some of the technologies that will revolutionise shipping and the British Government wants to be at the forefront of these developments. These are the thoughts of the UK transport secretary Chris Grayling, who outlined his vision for the UK at a smart shipping conference in February.
There are a number of technologies that are shaping maritime, or will do in the future. These include:
Mr Grayling expects these will make shipping safer and more environmentally friendly. “Autonomous shipping is just one aspect of a maritime technology revolution which has the potential to radically transform the industry, making it safer, cleaner and faster than ever,” he said, adding that the UK should be driving these changes in the maritime industry.
UK Government ministers are working with IMO for “paving the way for this new era of shipping”, said Mr Grayling, adding that “we want to work closely with the industry to ensure we are doing everything possible to allow this new technology to thrive.”
“Paving the way for this new era of shipping”
Augmented reality could be used to train new seafaring cadets and familiarise them with vessels operations, which would improve safety, he said, while artificial intelligence will enable navigators to plot more efficient routes and avoid severe weather. It could also be used to highlight disruption at ports and diagnose mechanical problems on ships.
Mr Grayling expects autonomous vessels would improve safety at sea because they help reduce the risks that seafarers can be exposed to. They could also reduce the potential for accidents by partially removing the potential for human error.
There could also be national economic reasons for developing autonomous shipping as Mr Grayling thinks there could be a change in the way freight is transported around the UK. He envisions fleets of coastal ships, with electric or hybrid propulsion, replacing heavy goods vehicles, which would reduce road congestion.
This is part of the UK Government’s Maritime 2050 project, which was announced in February. Part of the voyage towards autonomous shipping involves developing class society documentation and operating them safely. For the latter, Maritime UK* published a code of practice for autonomous vessels in November 2017.
In that same month, C-Worker 7 became the first semi-autonomous vessel to join the UK ship register. It is a multipurpose work-class vessel that was developed by Autonomous Marine Systems for a variety of offshore and coastal engineering work. It can be used for tasks such as subsea positioning, surveying and environmental monitoring.
Remote control fireboat
Another application for an unmanned and remotely-controlled vessel would be fire-fighting in ports or at sea. With this in mind, naval architect Robert Allan has collaborated with Kongsberg Maritime to develop a remotely-operated fireboat that could be used to tackle dangerous port fires without putting lives at risk.
Robert Allan is using its experience of tugboat design to develop the RALamander uncrewed fireboat. Kongsberg would provide the remote control technology, including control systems, battery packs, vessel automation and navigation systems, said Kongsberg sales manager for autonomy and offshore Sondre Larsson.
“RALamander can work with other unmanned fire-fighting vessels or alone”
RALamander would be linked to a remote control centre using Kongsberg’s maritime broadband radio communications, he explained. This vessel “can work with other unmanned fire-fighting vessels or alone”, he said at the annual Offshore Support Journal Conference in London in February.
Robert Allan has designed the vessel to have a FiFi 1 fire-fighting module with a 2,400 m3/hr capacity, with pump and monitors supplied by Fire Fighting Systems. This vessel could be directed to tackle marine and port fires involving containers or petrochemicals, both on ships and shoreside structures, said Mr Larsson.
RALamander could operate in toxic smoke and areas of explosion risk instead of sending manned fireboats. Facilities on board mean it could also be used for towing vessels to safe areas or it could be mobilised for tackling maritime fires during salvage projects.
Mr Larsson told delegates that remote-control vessels could also be used for standby and emergency response operations offshore. “This all depends on the regulations and market needs.” A fire-fighting vessel could be controlled from an offshore installation or master vessel using broadband communications.
*Maritime UK brings together the UK’s shipping, ports, services, engineering and leisure marine industries to promote the sector, influence government and drive growth
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