Rolls Royce has designed unmanned robot ships that could revolutionize maritime transport.
These crewless cargo ships are part of a 3.5 million euro ($4.8 million) project called Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence (Munin). Industry consultant Moore Stephens LLP said that crew costs account for 44% of total operating costs for a large container ship.
The Rolls Royce vice president of innovation, engineering and technology asked if it is “better to have a crew of 20 sailing in a gale in the North Sea, or say five in a control room on shore?” Unmanned robot ships could save a lot of money and potentially lives.
However, spokesman for the International Chamber of Shipping Simon Bennett notes that unmanned ships are illegal under international law at the moment. “It would require a complete overhaul of the regulatory regime,” he said.
“Apart from the safety considerations, there would also be a lot of questions from bodies such as trade unions,” Bennett added.
It’s hard to see this project happening within the next couple of decades, but it could eventually be something quite incredible.