The day of the unmanned surface ship is dawning

Advances in sensor technology, data analytics, and bandwidth-to-shore are fundamentally changing the way maritime shipping works. As operations are digitized, they become more automated, Dr. Pierre C. Sames, director of Group Technology & Research at class society DNV GL, has stated. Governments around the world are looking into unmanned maritime shipping as a way to move more cargo to sea to contain the spiraling costs of road maintenance caused by heavy truck traffic, not to mention air pollution. Norway is taking a lead in exploring this issue to help bridge the country’s many fjords and sea passages to ease transit. The government has turned Trondheim Fjord into a test bed for autonomous ship trials. Other nations, most notably Finland and Singapore, are pursuing similar goals.