Scientists from Norway presented an autonomous vessel that does not harm the environment. While it is being tested on preliminary flights.
Norway launched the world’s first fully electric autonomous cargo ship – a major step in reducing the maritime industry’s climate footprint, authorities believe. The vessel will eliminate the need to make more than 40 thousand trips a year on trucks that pollute the environment with diesel fuel.
The 80-meter vessel with a displacement of 3,200 tons will soon begin two-year operational trials. At first, it will move with the help of the mate, who will debug the ship’s maneuvers in order to transport cargo autonomously in the future.
“Many incidents on ships are due to human error, such as fatigue,” said project manager Jostein Braaten. “And autonomous driving can ensure a safe journey.”
The distance that the ship will cover will be small, but scientists will face several obstacles. The device will have to navigate a narrow fjord, sail under two bridges to cope with currents and heavy traffic from merchant ships, pleasure boats and kayaks, and then dock in one of Norway’s busiest ports.
For the next several months, the vessel will be trained without cargo. “First of all, we must detect passing objects using computer vision. For example, we have to determine what it is a kayak, and then determine what to do with it, ”the researchers noted.
