Coming soon? Autonomous unmanned container ships?

[photodog]

The first unmanned autonomous container ship is in build...

http://gcaptain.com/shipbuilding-co...-zero-emission-container-ship-yara-birkeland/


I’m wondering how this complies with SOLAS chapter 5... in particular regulations 33 and 14?

Who is responsible if they run someone down... how will the IRPCS need to be changed to move away from the equal responsibility to avoid collisions by all parties?

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I am sure “they” will work it out to their benifit at the expense of a crewed vessel. No doubt the IMO are on the case. It’s a natural progression to remove people, probably will be safer with tech as well.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

By the way Kongsberg are masters in control, station keeping, system redundancy. The majority of dynamically positioned vessels that run automatically in a tiny watch circle are Kongsberg systems.

 

[awol]

Porsgrun to Narvik and Brevik is not a long way by sea but much longer by road. Think of it as the Vital Spark without Para, Dougie, McPhail or Sunny Jim.

 

[Kukri]

This little ship will not be trading internationally so she does not have to comply with the Conventions, and Norway can make what rules it likes for her.

 

[Stemar]

The control systems won't be perfect - nothing ever is, but I'd bet my pension it'll be better than this one

https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/grounding-of-general-cargo-vessel-ruyter

Which is only one of many alcohol assisted groundings and collisions. At least the Yara Birkeland will be keeping as good a look out as it's capable of and will be programmed to obey Colregs, unless they make special regulations for it, when they'll be well publicised.

I recall one, not long after I started sailing. A small coaster had a Russian Captain, Polish Mates and a few Filipinos as crew. It was heading up the channel with the 1st mate alone on watch. After a while, he got bored, so he turned the bridge alarm off and went to his cabin to cuddle a bottle of whisky. No one else was any the wiser until the ship steamed full ahead up Dungeness Beach. That one has coloured my attitude to merchant ships ever since Will they follow Colregs, or is it another pisshead?