Welcome to Unmanned Craft Week!

This is probably the fastest evolving sector of the whole maritime industry. Crew shortages and a growing unwillingness to spend long periods at sea are affecting the commercial sector and a reluctance to waste highly trained personnel is encouraging the military to look ever more closely at the possibilities of unmanned vessels.

Over the past few years it would be a rare week that passes without something about unmanned systems crossing our desks at Baird Maritime. At such an early stage of development, much of it, of course, is fanciful but some is practical and sensible. The United States Navy, as one of the world’s biggest shipowners, is studying the subject very closely and experimenting extensively. It is also generously distributing and contributing its knowledge to the wider maritime industry.

Unmanned Surface Vehicles • Unmanned Underwater Vehicles • Remotely Operated Vehicles

Navies and coastguards are on a steep learning curve but, at least they are learning and many practical results are starting to be seen with unmanned air, surface and submersible “vehicles”. They are all, in their own ways, lifesavers, in that their pilots or “operators” are able to work in comfort and safety a long way from the battlefront.

In the commercial field, too, much research and experimentation is being conducted. Starting, most effectively with USVs or UUVs in the offshore oil and gas business, such craft are now in widespread use. Their design, construction and operation have now become highly refined. They enable work to be done where human beings cannot safely go.

Regular readers will have seen frequent articles published on Baird Maritime presenting the latest developments in this fascinating field of maritime endeavour. The coming week will be little different except that there will simply be more of it. Some of the developments are real breakthroughs but, mostly, they are simply the result of dogged research work. The classification societies are doing a lot of it, often in conjunction with industry and academia.

It’s all very exciting and interesting, so read on.

Vessel Reviews:

• Proteus – Unmanned demonstrator boat for government and commercial applications
• Fugro Orca – USV built for offshore inspection and hydrographic survey work
• VO:X Metiri – Ultra-quiet autonomous survey craft for Van Oord
• FlipiX – Multi-sensor ROV for light survey work
  
• Greek-built unmanned special warfare and rescue RIB
• Zhi Fei – Chinese-built 300TEU boxship boasts autonomous navigation features

Features and Opinion:

FEATURE | Demonstrator tug completes 1,000-nautical-mile voyage on fully autonomous mode

– “The journey spanned 129 operational hours over 13 days and was commanded by licensed mariners remotely stationed 3,000 miles away in Boston.”

FEATURE | Challenging autonomous gliders in coastal seas

– “One aim of the mission was to challenge current navigational methodology, which requires continuous supervision and intervention from human pilots.”

News and Gear:

• Ocean Infinity to develop ammonia-fueled propulsion for future USV fleet
• Partnership to develop aerial drone-carrying multi-mission USV
• NATO Submarine Rescue System cleared for use on French Navy’s Loire-class support ships
• New South Korean-developed hull cleaning robot approved for commercial use
• US Coast Guard, NTSB continue investigation into loss of fishing vessel Emmy Rose
• Bureau Veritas completes full remote “in-water” hull survey by ROV
• UK firms to develop unmanned rescue craft for offshore wind operators
• Royal Navy frigate successfully controls autonomous RIB during trials
• ABS awards AIP to Singapore autonomous tug project
• Newly-formed company to operate electric-powered seabed mapping AUV
• Japanese firm unveils autonomous vessel designed for transporting offshore wind batteries
• Spanish defence firm develops new USV series

Recent Important Features:

COLUMN | Everything you have ever lived for is in jeopardy! [Tug Times]

– “Let us hope no administration will permit full autonomy, even on a trial basis, before the laws have been changed so we all know exactly where we stand.”

– by Alan Loynd, former General Manager of the Hong Kong Salvage and Towage Company

FEATURE | The ROBOSHIP project: a new autonomous navigation system under development in Japan

– “The system has been designed to perform functions including route planning, course control, speed control, and collision avoidance.”

Remember to come back every day to see the latest news, opinion and vessel reviews!

Call for content!

Any news or views about the unmanned vessel industries? Send it through to [email protected] ASAP (between now and November 19), so we can add it to this current edition of Unmanned Craft Week!

We are after:

• Vessels – Orders, new deliveries, under construction
• Gear – Latest innovations and technology in the unmanned vessel sector
• Interviews – Owners, operators, research organisations, etc.
• Reminiscences – Do you have any exciting, amusing or downright dangerous anecdotes from your time in the unmanned vessel world? (example here)
• Other – Any other relevant news