“We’re on the verge of something great. We’re going to make autonomous ships a reality by 2020.” Autonomous shipping would be more environmentally friendly, partly by using electric propulsion and alternative fuels such as marine gas oil and methanol. The normal diesel fuel used in shipping is absolutely filthy, and we should try to stop using it.

2020-10-31: It would help with crew shortages as well

“You have large shipping companies that can’t change out their crews and 100Ks of sailors that were trapped in March on their vessels because they couldn’t get flights out or because of the overall risk of bringing a new crew on board. Executives at these companies are looking to de-risk this.” The International Maritime Organization is in the middle of a “scoping exercise” to come up with new rules for autonomous ships sailing across the sea. It has identified 4 levels of autonomy for ships.

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