Autonomous ships are coming. Yara Birkeland, the world’s first fully autonomous, zero-emissions ship, has been designed, is awaiting construction and should be launched in early 2019. She will sail along the Norwegian coast, carrying fertilizer between ports and will be monitored from shore-based control centers. Initially, she will operate as a manned vessel, before switching to remote control and becoming fully autonomous in 2020.
The article examines four key issues for autonomous ships:
- Ship design
- Shore-based monitoring centres
- Maritime liability rules
- Cyber-security
To read the full article from Maritime Risk International, click here. (Subscription required)