Next Step in remote control vessels - a study

Next step in remote control vessels

I witnessed the latest step along the road to autonomous vessels during a trial of a remotely controlled tugboat in Copenhagen, Denmark, last week.

It was interesting seeing a master control the tug, Svitzer Hermod, during manoeuvres around one of Copenhagen’s harbours, from a remote centre.

The tug was sailed through waters where other workboats were operating, from a remote operating centre in Svitzer’s offices, the master was then able to bring Svitzer Hermod to a standstill when touching a vessel that was designated to be manoeuvred by the tug.

He delicately handled the tug so that its bow just touched the other vessel’s starboard side.

Then the master manoeuvred Svitzer Hermod back out, turned it around and moored it by the quayside.

As a demonstration of what can be achieved, this was a remarkable test. The technology includes dynamic positioning on the tug, shore-to-ship communications using cellular networks, and a wall of screens displaying visuals from the bridge for the operator. There was also augmented reality on these displays providing additional information for the operator.

This was quite a leap along the road towards autonomous vessels. The next step will be the building of Yara Birkeland, the first autonomous coastal container ship, which is expected in operation before 2020 using Kongsberg technology.

By then, Rolls-Royce and Kongsberg hope to have completed more tests with different types of vessel to demonstrate these capabilities. These could include offshore support vessels and passenger vessels.

We are well on the way to autonomous ships and I am looking forward to witnessing more demonstrations in the future.

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