A new test of an autonomous ship off the coast of Norway safely finished a thirteen-hour trip with no crew. The ship is one of several test ships that are part of AUTOSHIP, a program funded by the EU that aims to create new technologies for big ships.
The company Kongsberg Maritime, which has been researching self-driving ships, put this program together. The trip was a turning point in the development of shipping technology that can run itself, though it will be some time before it can be used publicly.
Markus Laurinen, head of growth and solutions at Kongsberg Maritime, said that self-driving ships are possible, but that their success will depend on things like how well the technology is received by customers and how well it works as an automaker.
“We’re taking this one step at a time. “We have a plan for moving functions to the remote operating center one at a time,” Laurinen said. “This lets everyone involved learn from and adjust to this big change that is taking place. A lot of people are affected by this, including freight owners, ship owners, operators, government bodies, and even groups that work on developing new technologies.
It’s been said that the biggest problem they’re having is getting national and international maritime officials to accept the technology. These kinds of tests help show decision-makers that the self-driving ship is possible and sway them in the path of the business.
The company said that this self-driving technology is being put into six big ships and five small ones. Radar systems and sensors are the key things that make this technology possible, but to take it even further, they will probably need more help from other businesses.
The International Maritime Organization says there are four levels of liberty. Level four means that no one can find out who you are. Making sure that all safety rules are followed is one of the things that still needs to be worked out before a ship can be a level foud. A lot of research is being done on how a ship could sail itself and how to make sure that the technology on board can handle hurdles just like a captain would.