Drones, flying objects without pilots on board, are increasingly widespread, as are self-driving cars. The example could not fail to extend the idea to other means of transport as well. Rolls-Royce Holdings was the first to think about it, which set up a team, called Blue Ocean, to study the construction of an unmanned cargo ship. In his laboratory in Norway, a device is being prepared that can "see" 360 degrees from the deck of the ship, transmitting each detection to a terrestrial center from which, in the future, hundreds of unmanned boats could be piloted.
It's a winning idea, they say at Rolls-Royce: a drone-boat would be the safest, cheapest and least polluting vehicle among those that make up the entire cargo fleet, a 375 billion dollar industry by which the 90% of the products traded in the world. Within ten years this new vessel could be used in areas such as the Baltic Sea, predicts Oskar Levander, Rolls-Royce vice president for innovation in marine technology. Costs and safety are problems which, however, risk greatly slowing down their adoption in many of the main shipping routes.
The project is also cautiously attracting the European Union, which is investing 3,5 million euros for a study entitled Maritime Unmanned Navigation. The simulations will have the task of evaluating in particular the costs and benefits of drone boats. However, many shipowners, insurers, unions and maritime traffic managers are very sceptical.
Transport by sea contributes 16% to the income of the British Rolls-Royce, which has moved from luxury cars (today in the hands of the German BMW) to building aircraft engines and turbines. The new boat could do without the bridge and all the equipment necessary for the crew's needs, thus making room for the cargo. Compared to similar traditional vehicles, it would be 5% lighter and would consume 12 to 15% less fuel. Then there is the saving on sailors, who according to Moore Stephens consultants represent 44% of the total operating cost of a large container ship. That's nearly $3.300 a day for each ship today.
This does not mean that savings may prove insufficient, too low to justify the investments necessary to ensure the safety of the new vehicle. Now an unmanned vessel is illegal on the basis of international conventions, warns the International Chamber of Shipping from London. To navigate, you must respect the rules of the IMO, the International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency that has been supervising maritime traffic for almost 70 years. So at the moment there is no chance of seeing drones plying the seas.
But the most heated opposition will undoubtedly be that of the ITF, the international federation that represents the interests of about 600 seamen of cargo ships and container ships: "Nothing can and will never replace the eyes, ears and decisions of a professional seaman" , proclaims Dave Heindel, president of the ITF. However, according to Levander, a slow and gradual transition, assisted by computers, will also overcome these resistances, especially in the container and large cargo sector. It will be less easy to see the new technology applied to dangerous cargoes, such as oil and gas. Without the ability to take hostages, piracy may also be less frequent, Levander says. However, even modernity has its enemies: in fact, it will be more difficult to protect the ship and its cargo from hacker attacks.
