Author: Alison Jarabo, Fathom Maritime Intelligence
Unmanned shipping can reduce the operating cost of vessels by almost 20% says Oskar Levander, Rolls Royce.
Levander also voiced at Fathom’s Smart Operation Conference in Rotterdam today that unmanned ships are a case of ‘when not if’ and the reduction in operating cost is one of the biggest drivers towards autonomy.
The fact that there is unmanned technology being pioneered across all other areas of transport such as automotive, locomotive and aviation, it is inevitable that it will come to shipping, stated Levander.
He alluded to the fact that the progressions required for the future of unmanned vessels are also required for manned vessels, so this is not a large leap. For example, while the reliability of systems and machinery needs to improve, this is important progression point for both manned and unmanned vessels.
