Written by Hans Vermij, Senior Manager, RoyalHaskoningDHV
How ready is your port for autonomous ships?
Europe is making headway in developing smart ships, otherwise known as autonomous vessels (AVs). In 2022, a crewless electrically powered container vessel, the Yara Birkeland, transported fertiliser from Yara’s plant in Porsgrunn Norway, across a fjord to a port in Brevik. The company’s goal is to eliminate 40,000 carbon-intensive diesel truckloads plying the same overland route each year. It was a landmark moment.
Since then, AVs have graced many a shipyard drawing board. Capable of operating with minimal human intervention, they promise to revolutionise efficiency, safety, and sustainability. Just like autonomous cars, they’re the future. But are our seas, inland waterways, and ports ready for them? More importantly, what must ports do to prepare for this new wave of AVs which experts say will be here within a decade?
You won’t be surprised to learn that ports in Rotterdam, Singapore, Shanghai, and Los Angeles already have advanced smart port programmes. The Port of Rotterdam routinely uses digital twins, smart berthing technology, and data analytics to enhance operational efficiency. It partners with tech giants and is developing capabilities to support autonomous vessels while strengthening cybersecurity.
READ: Five Reasons You Need a Super Intelligent Digital Twin for Your Terminal
The use of smart technologies, including sensors and cameras, will necessitate massive upgrades to port infrastructure. This is required even if vessels are manned by skeleton crews, which is the most likely path before fully automated vessels are permitted.
The need for collaboration can’t be understated. Technology companies, maritime engineering consultancies, and research institutes each have a role to play. For example, in the Netherlands, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management welcomes Smart Shipping trials on Dutch inland waterways and in territorial waters once permission is granted by the Rijkswaterstaat.
New regulatory framework
New regulatory and international legal frameworks are now urgently needed. Inland waterways present a particular challenge as autonomous river barges will traverse multiple countries, some of which, like France, have powerful unions bitterly opposed to any job cuts. Legal clarity on liability and insurance matters is also essential to address potential disputes arising from accidents or malfunctions. After all, with no skipper aboard who is ultimately responsible? The vessel owner? The firmware or software developer? The operator? Another issue is the management and control of information and communications technology. Communications must be seamless, without any disruption.
A major challenge is the slow speed of adapting rules and regulations, which is compounded when artificial intelligence (AI) is added to the already complicated mix. Regulators are constantly trying to catch up with the technology and at the current rate of progress, it will take around 30 years for AVs to be commonplace on inland waterways instead of 10. Hardly surprising when you consider it took a decade to move from single to safer double-hull tankers or even decades for the introduction of radar.
Next, standards for IT systems and protocols must be reached. That’s before the installation of a forest of sensors, cameras and high-speed communications networks with processing systems capable of real-time data exchange between ships and port-based control centres. For inland waterways, the technologies must extend to bridges and locks and all this hardware and software requires additional investment in cybersecurity to stay ahead of the hackers.
READ: New maritime cybersecurity body launches
Training: teaching old sea dogs new tricks
While AVs reduce the need for full crews, any skeleton crew must combine maritime skills with those needed to manage and maintain the onboard technology. Ports must invest in training programmes to equip workers to operate and oversee autonomous systems. Old sea dogs must learn new disciplines such as AI, robotics, and cybersecurity, and remain proficient in the latest technological advancements and industry practices, as well as maintenance and technical standards.
AVs are usually designed with sustainability in mind, utilising energy-efficient technologies and alternative fuels. It’s therefore sensible for ports to consider AV infrastructure concurrent with planning eco-friendly infrastructure such as electric charging, alternative fuel bunkering, and waste management.
Charting a way forward
Most port owners and authorities are already busy brushing off their master port strategies, grappling with issues such as greening their operations, developing smart port initiatives, and deciding upon which eco-fuel should get the thumbs up for investment. It’s therefore tempting to put AVs on the ‘too-hard-to-do’ pile. Don’t.
AVs will be here by the early 2030s. In Belgium, Seafar operates a remote control centre in Antwerp, has expanded and opened a remote control centre in Duisburg, and is considering remote short-sea shipping. By the 2040s, today’s emerging industry standards will be well-established, although it may take longer for inland waterways given the need for international agreements. But the point is, the technology is coming, ready or not.
We’ve already seen the benefits of automation and robotics in smart ports. Automated container handling systems move cargo faster, more efficiently, and with fewer errors, resulting in shorter ship turnaround times that increase port capacity. In the skies, drones with high-resolution cameras and sensors, are being used for tasks from surveillance and inspection to small cargo deliveries within the port premises. Adding semi- and fully automated shipping is simply the next logical step. So be ready, select the right partners, start planning, and grab this opportunity with both hands.
Hans Vermij is a leading expert in port logistics with 39 years of experience. He works for Royal HaskoningDHV, the international engineering consultancy, where he is responsible for the execution of inland waterway development projects. Hans has worked in more than 22 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, and regularly lectures and trains port directors on Port Master planning, including smart technologies.
