Zeszyty Naukowe Małopolskiej Wyższej Szkoły Ekonomicznej w Tarnowie

The Małopolska School of Economics in Tarnów Research Papers Collection

ISSN 1506-2635, e-ISSN 2658-1817
2021, 51(3), 155–163
DOI: 10.25944/znmwse.2021.03.155163
© 2021 MWSE, distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

Autonomous shipping.
The future of the maritime industry?

Wiesław Wasilewski Katarzyna Wolak Magdalena Zaraś

University of Zielona Góra University of Zielona Góra University of Zielona Góra
E-mail: E-mail: E-mail:
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
ORCID: 0000-0001-8772-7656 ORCID: 0000-0002-6224-7995 ORCID: 0000-0002-9070-1219

Abstract: The main goal of the article is to present the problems of the de-
velopment of autonomous ships and to characterize the most important chal-
lenges. The article provides a description of autonomous ships and studies
the existing relevant projects. It presents a spectrum of applications and pos-
sibilities of unmanned ships in the field of security. Currently, high hopes are
placed on the functioning of unmanned ships. They are not only to be more
economical but also to contribute to environmental protection. Developing
a technology that allows the construction of ships and their safe operation is
not the only task faced by enthusiasts of unmanned vessels. It is also impor-
tant to develop and implement proper regulatory framework that will allow
the legal operation of such ships.

Keywords: logistics, autonomous shipping, unmanned vessels, maritime in-

dustry

1. Introduction
Autonomous ships do not require a crew present on board.
They are operated remotely by the operator or operate abso-
lutely independently. They can contribute to increased safety
Publication financed by: on the water by performing a wide range of tasks, reducing
Małopolska School the risk of danger to health or life.
of Economics in Tarnów
A transition to remote-controlled and autonomous vessels
Correspondence to: will have an impact on shipping, its resources and manage-
Wiesław Wasilewski
ment. This transition will affect not only the technology-
Uniwersytet Zielonogórski
Wydział Ekonomii i Zarządzania -related operations, but will lead to changes in the way the
ul. Licealna 9 shipping business operates. New kinds of capabilities will be
65-417 Zielona Góra
E-mail: [email protected]
156 Wiesław Wasilewski, Katarzyna Wolak, Magdalena Zaraś

required and some actors may find their roles changed. Global companies’ logistics chains
are likely to become more integrated and adaptable using the whole fleet in an optimum way.
Ongoing digitalization and autonomous technologies will create new services already along
the way towards autonomous shipping. Some of these services will support existing market
players and some will allow new players to enter the market. For example, in the automotive
sector the self-driving car has been seen as an opportunity not only by traditional car manu-
facturers, but also by entrants from other technology sectors (Rolls-Royce, 2016, p. 3).

2. Research on autonomous ships

Currently, many studies on autonomous ships are underway in the world at the same time.
The most significant ones are presented in Table 1.
Table 1. Studies on autonomous ships
Name of the project Responsible entity Characteristic
Maritime Unmanned collaborative investigating the technical, economic, and legal feasibility
Navigation through research project, of unmanned ships
Intelligence co-funded by
in Networks the European
(MUNIN) Commissions
Advanced Rolls‐Royce bring together universities, ship designers, equipment
Autonomous manufacturers, and classification societies to explore the
Waterborne economic, social, legal, regulatory, and technological factors
Applications which need to be addressed in order to make autonomous
Initiative (AAWA) ships a reality
ReVolt DNV GL The vessel will operate at a speed of 6 knots with a range of
100 nautical miles and a cargo capacity of 100 twenty-foot
containers.
Cyber‐enabled Lloyd’s Register A unique, world-class approach to providing cyber security
ship project services to the marine and offshore industry.
Autonomous Norwegian The research results are being used to develop intelligent
Marine Operations University of ships and ocean structures, autonomous unmanned vehicles
and Systems Science and (under water, on the sea surface, in air and space) and robots
(AMOS) Technology for high-precision and safety-critical operations in harsh
environments.
Yara Birkeland Kongsberg A 120 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) open top
container ship. It will be a fully battery-powered solution,
prepared for autonomous and unmanned operation. The
vessel will reduce NOx and CO2 emissions by reducing
diesel-powered truck transport by around 40,000 journeys
per year.

S o u r c e: MUNIN, 2015; Rolls-Royce, 2016; DNV, 2021; NTNU AMO, 2021; Kongsberg, 2021.

The Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence in Networks (MUNIN) started in

2012. It was funded by the European Commission, with the purpose of investigating the technical,
economic, and legal feasibility of unmanned ships. MUNIN aims to develop and verify a concept
for an autonomous ship, which is defined as a vessel primarily guided by automated onboard deci-
sion systems but controlled by a remote operator in a shore side control station (MUNIN, 2015).
 Autonomous shipping. The future of the maritime industry? 157

Figure 1. The Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence in Networks

Source: MUNIN, 2015.

Figure 1. The
Figure Maritime
1. The MaritimeUnmanned
Unmanned Navigation throughIntelligence
Navigation through Intelligence in Networks
in Networks
Another example
S o u r c e: MUNIN, of such a project is that of the Advanced Autonomous Waterborne
2015.
Source: MUNIN, 2015.
Applications Initiative (AAWA), launched by Rolls‐Royce in 2015. It will produce the
Another example of such a project is that of the Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Ap-
specification and
plications preliminary
Initiative
Another (AAWA),
example designs forbyisthe
launched
of such a project thatnext
of thegeneration
Rolls‐Royce of advanced
in 2015. ItAutonomous
Advanced will the ship
speci- solutions
produceWaterborne
fication and preliminary designs for the next generation of advanced ship solutions (Rolls‐
(Rolls‐Royce, 2016).
Applications
-Royce, 2016).
Initiative (AAWA), launched by Rolls‐Royce in 2015. It will produce the
specification and preliminary designs for the next generation of advanced ship solutions
(Rolls‐Royce, 2016).

Figure 2. Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative

Figure 2. Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative
Figure
S o u r c e: Rolls-Royce, 2. Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative
2016.

Source: Rolls-Royce,
A third
Source: 2016.is2016.
project
Rolls-Royce, the ReVolt, an unmanned, 60‐metre‐long, zero‐emission, short sea vessel,
developed by DNV GL. The vessel is crewless, fully battery powered, autonomous, and it of-
fers a solution to the growing need for transport capacity (DNV, 2021).
A third project is the ReVolt, an unmanned, 60‐metre‐long, zero‐emission, short sea
A third project is the ReVolt, an unmanned, 60‐metre‐long, zero‐emission, short sea
vessel, developed by DNV GL. The vessel is crewless, fully battery powered, autonomous,
vessel, developed by DNV GL. The vessel is crewless, fully battery powered, autonomous,
and it offers a solution to the growing need for transport capacity (DNV, 2021).
and it offers a solution to the growing need for transport capacity (DNV, 2021).

4
 158 Wiesław Wasilewski, Katarzyna Wolak, Magdalena Zaraś

Figure 3. ReVolt
Figure 3. ReVolt

S o u r c e: DNV, 2021.
Source: DNV, 2021.
Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems (AMOS) was developed by the Departments of
Marine Technology and Engineering Cybernetics at the Norwegian University of Science and
Autonomous
Technology (NTNU) in Marine Operations
collaboration and Systems
with international and(AMOS) was developed
national partners. It is relatedbyto the
the
unmanned ships
Departments ofand focusesTechnology
Marine on the following
and topics: Autonomous
Engineering system and
Cybernetics at payload architec-
the Norwegian
University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in collaboration with international Inte-
tures, Coordinated operation of a sensor network of unmanned vehicles and floating nodes, and
grated underwater navigation and mapping, Autonomous object detection and tracking in marine
national partners. It is related to the unmanned ships and focuses on the following topics:
environments using infrared sensors, Sensor‐based guidance and path optimization, Coordinated
Autonomous system
and cooperative and
control payload architectures,
architectures for intelligentCoordinated operation
task execution, of a sensor
and collision network
avoidance of
in un-
certain maritime
unmanned environments
vehicles (Tomotsugu,
and floating nodes, 2016, p. 22;underwater
Integrated NTNU AMOS, 2021). and mapping,
navigation
Autonomous object detection and tracking in marine environments using infrared sensors,
Sensor‐based guidance and path optimization, Coordinated and cooperative control
architectures for intelligent task execution, and collision avoidance in uncertain maritime
environments (Tomotsugu, 2016, p. 22; NTNU AMOS, 2021).

Figure
Figure4.
4.Autonomous
Autonomous Marine Operationsand
Marine Operations andSystems
Systems

S o u r c e: NTNU AMOS, 2021.

Source: NTNU AMOS, 2021.

5
Source: NTNU AMOS, 2021.

Autonomous shipping. The future of the maritime industry? 159

The vessel Yara Birkeland will be the world’s first fully electric and autonomous
container ship, Yara
The vessel with Birkeland
zero emissions.
will be Kongsberg is responsible
the world’s first forand
fully electric development
autonomousand delivery
container
of ship, with
all key zero emissions.
enabling Kongsberg
technologies is responsible
including the sensorsfor
anddevelopment
integration and delivery
required for of all key
remote and
enabling technologies including the sensors and integration required for remote and autono-
autonomous ship operations, in addition to the electric drive, battery and propulsion control
mous ship operations, in addition to the electric drive, battery and propulsion control systems
systems (Kongsberg,
(Kongsberg, 2021).2021).

Source: Kongsberg, 2021.

First we need to answer few Figure

Figure 5. Yara
important
5. Yara Birkeland
questions (Rolls Royce, 2016):
Birkeland

S o u‒r c e:What technology

Kongsberg, 2021. is needed?
6
‒ What new risks will appear and how can they be mitigated?
First we need to answer few important questions (Rolls-Royce, 2016):
‒ Are autonomous ships legal and who is liable in the event of an accident?
– What technology is needed?
– ‒What
Does
newa ship’s master
risks will or crew
appear and necessarily
how can theyhave
beto be on board of the ship?
mitigated?
– Are autonomous ships legal and who is liable in the event of an accident?
– Does a ship’s master
Unmanned ships or
arecrew necessarily
being developedhavedue
to be
to on board of the
exceptional ship? capabilities,
technical
including cost limitations and mission time extending beyond the limits of the human body.
Unmanned ships are being developed due to exceptional technical capabilities, including
cost limitations and mission time extending beyond the limits of the human body.

Figure
Figure6.6.Unmanned ships:next
Unmanned ships: nextsteps
steps

S o u r c e: Rolls-Royce, 2016.
Source: Rolls-Royce, 2016.

Direct benefits from using of autonomous ships are (Rolls-Royce, 2016):

‒ More efficient use of space in ship design;
‒ More efficient use of crew and their skills;
160 Wiesław Wasilewski, Katarzyna Wolak, Magdalena Zaraś

Direct benefits from using of autonomous ships are (Rolls-Royce, 2016):

– More efficient use of space in ship design;
– More efficient use of crew and their skills;
– More efficient use of fuel.
Indirect benefits occur at company and network levels in the shipping sector. Remote and
autonomous shipping allows improved optimization of operations and processes. For exam-
ple, optimizing processes or operations based on realtime data enables economies of scale at
fleet and company level as well as reducing the likelihood of human errors, contributing both
to safety and service quality. In terms of the shipping sector, autonomous shipping will recast
the roles and reorganize the division of work.

3. Development of autonomous shipping

Autonomous ships can function independently of humans. The degrees of autonomy are
presented in Table 2.
Table 2. The degrees of autonomy
Degrees of autonomy Characteristic
Degree one: Ship with automated Seafarers are on board to operate and control shipboard systems and
processes and decision support functions.
Some operations may be automated and at times be unsupervised but
with seafarers on board ready to take control.
Degree two: Remotely controlled The ship is controlled and operated from another location. Seafarers
ship with seafarers on board are available on board to take control and to operate the shipboard
systems and functions.
Degree three: Remotely controlled The ship is controlled and operated from another location. There are
ship without seafarers on board no seafarers on board.
Degree four: Fully autonomous The operating system of the ship is able to make decisions and
ship determine actions by itself.

S o u r c e: IMO, 2018.

The MUNIN project investigated the feasibility of unmanned, autonomous merchant vessels.
The ships will be manned while departing and entering port and unmanned during ocean-pas-
sage. When unmanned, the ships will be controlled by an automatic system informed by on-
board sensors allowing the ship to make standard collision avoidance manoeuvres according to
international regulation. The ship will be continuously monitored by a remote shore centre able
to take remote control should the automatic systems falter (Porathe, Prison and Man, 2014). It
is possible to develop a standard based on experiences with autonomous cars. However, the fol-
lowing aspects should be noted. The size of the ship is much larger and the manoeuvrability is
much smaller. Moreover, the consequences of any accidents are much more serious.
The big challenge for a future autonomous technology will be to show that an unmanned
system is at least as safe as a manned ship system, and to provide the shore control operators
with adequate situation awareness (Porathe, Prison and Man, 2014). A very important issue
is the compliance of the manoeuvres with the international regulations on preventing colli-
sions at sea (COLREGS) and the interaction of autonomous ships with classic manned ships.
Autonomous shipping. The future of the maritime industry? 161

4. Future
Hereby, the autonomous vessel is described as a ship equipped “with modular control sys-
tems and communication technology to enable wireless monitoring and control, including
advanced decision support systems and the capabilities for remote and autonomous opera-
tion” (Waterborne.eu, 2011). The autonomous vessels will be equipped with systems allow-
ing self‐steering by sensor‐based detection of objects such as obstacles and will be able to
self‐initiate an action, e.g. to avoid collisions with other objects. This may be achieved by
technical systems installed onboard, which use programmed algorithms and input data gath-
ered by sensors. The introduction of the autonomous ship concept to the shipping industry
might start a new era and become a game changer in terms of cost efficiency, accident preven-
tion, and human resources (Komianos, 2018).
An autonomous ship is not necessarily unmanned. From time to time maintenance teams
might be onboard during parts of the voyage to make service or repairs on systems onboard,
and the ship is expected to be manned during port approach and departure (Porathe, Prison and
Man, 2014).
Paradigms of applied unmanned systems can already be found in other modes of transport,
such as airplanes, trains, and in the automobile industry, which is already trying to develop
autonomous vehicles. However, a very distinct and serious problem exists in the shipping and
maritime sectors, namely, the lack of autonomous ships’ coverage and inclusion in relevant
safety, security, and environmental protection conventions and regulations. The initiation of
a new perspective is therefore needed before autonomous ships can be introduced to com-
mercial shipping, in order to ensure the prevention of maritime accidents and the protection
of the environment (Komianos, 2018).
There are already several small‐size unmanned and autonomous crafts in the maritime sec-
tor which have been engaged in surface navigation, research and scientific activities, under
water operations, and specific military activities. Proven safe, these vessels are the path to-
wards the elimination of human error and thus accident minimization (Tomotsugu, 2016).
The development towards an unmanned and autonomous ship represents a comprehensive
solution to meet those three major challenges of the maritime transport industry (Burmeister
et al., 2014a):
– keep operational expenses as low as possible to facilitate efficient international trade;
– reduce environmental impact and emission of greenhouse gases;
– remove trivial operational tasks and release crew for more demanding and interesting
work, to attract and retain seagoing professionals.

5. Conclusion
The implementation of an autonomous vessel will provide the opportunity to increase the
efficiency of ship operation as well as enhance the sustainability, which is the greatest driver
in any industry (United Nations, 2008). The construction of intelligent vessels would change
this situation, creating a better, more profitable and, hopefully, safer shipping market. Devel-
opment of autonomous vessels such as those in the MUNIN project will offer a wide‐ranging
solution to meet the main challenges of the maritime transport industry, resulting in a de-
162 Wiesław Wasilewski, Katarzyna Wolak, Magdalena Zaraś

crease in the operational expenses, better environmental protection practices, and human fa-
tigue minimization (Burmeister et al., 2014b).
This kind of ship design is so new, due to the rapid scientific developments in the maritime
industry, that such vessels are not yet covered by any international rule or regulation. The In-
ternational Maritime Organization (IMO) has not given any approval for this type of vessel nor
has it received any proposal from the contracting governments to regulate unmanned vessels.
The implementation of the autonomous ship concept on a mass scale will have a huge im-
pact on the efficiency of the industry, human resource management, and accident prevention.
The benefits of environmental protection are also important. Although the existing mari-
time technology may cover any safety, environmental, and commercial concerns, the lack of
a proper regulatory framework may delay the actual use of such vessels.

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Autonomous shipping. The future of the maritime industry? 163

Żegluga autonomiczna. Przyszłość marynarki?

Abstrakt: Artykuł definiuje funkcjonowanie żeglugi au- cjonowaniu statków bezzałogowych. Mają być one nie
tonomicznej i analizuje istniejące ważne projekty ma- tylko bardziej ekonomiczne, ale także mają przyczyniać
jące na celu opracowanie i wdrożenie odpowiedniej się do ochrony środowiska. Opracowanie technologii
technologii. Opisano problematykę rozwoju statków pozwalającej na budowę statków i ich bezpieczną eks-
autonomicznych oraz scharakteryzowano najważniejsze ploatację to nie jedyne zadanie stojące przed entuzja-
wyzwania. Przedstawiono spektrum zastosowań i moż- stami żeglugi autonomicznej. Ważne jest również opra-
liwości statków bezzałogowych w dziedzinie bezpie- cowanie i wdrożenie odpowiednich ram regulacyjnych,
czeństwa. Obecnie duże nadzieje pokłada się w funk- które pozwolą na legalną eksploatację takich statków.

Słowa kluczowe: logistyka, żegluga autonomiczna, statki bezzałogowe, przemysł morski