Recently, the reporter learned from the International Shipping Network that Norwegian shipping giants Wilson Group and Kongsberg will jointly establish the world's first unmanned ship shipping company, 'Massterly'. The new company will be located in Lusak, Norway. Will be fully operational in August 2018.
With the birth of the world's first unmanned ship shipping company, the global shipping industry has officially entered the era of 'unmanned ship'. The traditional shipbuilding industry is facing subversion, and European shipping companies may once again become the 'master' of the future shipping industry. '.
Picture: 'YARA Birkeland' uses its installed global positioning system, radar, cameras and sensors, etc., to avoid other ships in the course of navigation and achieve its own stop at the end of the journey.
The two companies plan to provide complete value chain services for unmanned vessels through the new company, covering design, development, control systems (purchase for supply and purchase of product libraries), logistics services and ship operations. The new company will establish a land-based control center to monitor ( Product Library Buying and Supplying) and operating unmanned ships in Norway and other countries.
According to Geir Håøy, President and CEO of KONGSBERG, unmanned transport and remote operations are an important development for the maritime industry. Benefiting from the close cooperation between the Norwegian Maritime Cluster and the Norwegian government, Norway has achieved a leading position in this area. In recent years, Driven by the large increase in demand, unmanned transport and remote operations are developing rapidly. Once unmanned ships are operational, Massterly will play a crucial role in the digitalization of infrastructure and operations.
Thomas Wilhelmsen, CEO of the Wilson Group, said that at present the unmanned shipping industry is in the initial stage of development, but in the near future the service will have a huge market. Unmanned ships will be used for offshore shipping in the initial stage, which also means that In the future, the competitiveness of the transportation from the road to the sea will be enhanced, and benefits will be gained in improving efficiency and reducing emissions. As a maritime country, Norway’s development of unmanned shipping industry will contribute to the UN’s sustainable development goals.
Judging from the information disclosed so far, 'Massterly' is not a company in the traditional sense. It is neither a marine equipment company nor a shipping company. It is an 'innovation' enterprise with a brand-new business model in its furniture (purchasing and supply of product libraries) and its future. The goal is to serve all ships.
As the giant of Norwegian shipping industry, Wilson Group can be said to be one of the most innovative companies in the shipping industry. Currently it is launching smart cables including drone delivery ships, 3D port printing and sensors (product library purchase and supply). A series of projects, and this time, the cooperation with K.S.B. is another bold attempt.
Thomas Wilhelmsen, CEO of the Wilson Group, recently pointed out that due to the continuous development of technology, the continuous improvement of usability and price, the idea that was considered impossible to realize three or four years ago is now within reach. In a constantly changing environment, The shipping industry cannot be conservative. 'If you are conservative in the shipping industry, you will not be successful.'
It is understood that the new company Massterly will receive and operate a number of unmanned ships including the 'Yara Birkeland'.
In 2017, KONGSBERG and the world's largest fertilizer manufacturer - Norway's Yara Group and Marin Teknikk jointly developed the world's first zero-emission unmanned ship project using electric propulsion. The construction cost of the vessel is expected to be NOK 400 million. The Norwegian government raised about 133 million Norwegian kroner (16 million U.S. dollars) for the ship.
The project test vessel 'Yara Birkeland' is 80 meters long and 15 meters wide. It can load 120 20-foot standard containers. The normal speed is 6 knots and the total speed is 13 knots. The ship uses batteries in addition to the crew. As a power, the design also does not need ballast water (product warehouse purchase supply) cabin.
The 'Yara Birkeland' is designed in full accordance with the unmanned ship model, without the traditional bridge (buy-buy supply) and cockpit. The pilots on board the ship during trial operation will be arranged in a temporary container module. 'YARA Birkeland' No. 5 uses its own global positioning system, radar (product library purchase and supply), cameras and sensors, etc. to be able to avoid other ships in the course of navigation. In addition, an automatic mooring (product warehouse purchase and supply) system is also available on board for berthing. No human intervention is required to set sail, and self-parking will be achieved at the end of the journey. Konsbo will be responsible for providing all key energy technologies required by 'Yara Birkeland', including sensors and integration for remote and fully automatic operation, and electric drive. , Battery and Propulsion Control Systems.
'YARA Birkeland' costs US$25 million, which is about three times the cost of ordinary ships, but thanks to pure electric and driverless design, it will save up to 90% of the operating cost per year by saving fuel and personnel costs.
It is reported that the 'Yara Birkeland' will be commissioned this year and will be used on a 37-mile (about 59.5-kilometer) route in southern Norway for fertiliser delivery. It will be operational in 2019 and will initially be staffed by crews. It is expected that 2020 will begin to realize completely unmanned navigation. At the same time, the ship insurance provider Gard has confirmed that it will provide hull, equipment and profit and loss insurance services for the 'Yara Birkeland'.
Although the shipment of 'YARA Birkeland' is small, it will become the world’s first fully electric feeder container ship and the world’s first fully autonomous ship. The official operation of this vessel will become a huge turning point in the history of global shipping.
Due to the rapid development of driverless technology and the shortage of labor faced by the shipping industry, unmanned ships are arriving at more than expected speeds. It can be said that as the ultimate form of smart ships - the arrival of unmanned ships has become unstoppable. With global The birth of the first unmanned ship shipping company, Massterly, meant that unmanned ships began to formally enter the business era from the concept.
Industry insiders said that in the era of unmanned ships, shipowners are no longer the masters of the industry, but are technology companies capable of mastering data. If we say who owns the ocean, whoever owns the world, then the future will be: Who With the data, whoever has the ocean!
