On May 7 this year, customs officers from Ostend in Belgium were waiting with great stress for the arrival of several containers of oysters from the UK. When the ship entered the port, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Of course, there was nothing unusual about the delivery of oysters across the English Channel. Except that this commercial cargo brought an unmanned ship to Ostend, on board of which there was not a single person.
Unusual ship
Delivering oysters caught in Essex from the UK to Belgium was the first unmanned commercial operation in the world to transport goods. A vessel without a crew crossed the English Channel successfully and without any troubles and incidents.
There were no people aboard the ship, but its movement was monitored by 4 people from a control center in Tollsbury in Essex. The unmanned ship was shipped by Hushcraft, a company specializing in the design and manufacture of watercraft.
Of course, in addition to the Hushcraft staff, the coast guard of Belgium and the United Kingdom closely watched the movement of the unmanned ship.
Ship equipment
On an unmanned ship that crossed the English Channel, the developers installed a diesel engine and electric generators. The manufacturer also equipped the ship with a video surveillance system, cameras, satellite dishes.
In addition, the designers provided an automatic identification system on the ship of the future. During sailing, the unmanned vessel independently gave warning signals when approaching other ships.
Useful ship
The ship was manufactured by Sea-Kit. As a commercial ship, this ship was used for the first time. But the oyster flight for the ship was not the first trip without a crew.
Not so long ago, an international hydrograph team sponsored by the Japanese non-profit foundation Nippo conducted its research on the same ship. For the work done on mapping the ocean, scientists then received a prize of as much as $ 4 million. Hydrographs were used by the vessel to study the dangerous places of the ocean.
The advantages of marine drones
Of course, Hushcraft plans to use the Sea-Kit to transport commercial cargo across the English Channel and beyond. Among other things, the employees of this company installed a huge metal container on the ship.
According to the leadership of Hushcraft, the use of an unmanned vessel for the transport of goods has many advantages. On such a watercraft, for example, neither a galley nor toilets are needed. Also, the company does not have to pay a salary to the team.
In addition, such vessels can be considered environmentally safer than conventional ones. The fact is that if desired, unmanned vehicles can be converted to power.
According to representatives of Hushcraft, new vessels in the near future in the field of cargo transportation can also partially replace automobile transport. This means that much less exhaust gases will be emitted into the environment.
The profession of a sailor, as you know, is associated with great risk. Even in our time, ships drown during storms, fires occur on them, etc. When using unmanned craft, people will no longer be in danger.
Drones disadvantages
The advantages of unmanned craft, therefore, there are many. However, such ships, according to experts, have some drawbacks.
For example, retired American captain Lawrence Brennan expressed his opinion about such vessels, among other things.This military officer is also an associate professor of admiralty and a professor of the law of the sea at Fordham University Law School.
According to the captain, unmanned ships, of course, should be used in the navy. Their advantages are obvious, however, the disadvantages of such boats are also not to be noted. According to Professor Brennan, the Achilles heel of such ships is the absence of a crew on board.
In the event of a loss of connection with the base, such a ship will instantly be lost in the ocean and it will be extremely difficult to find it in the future. As a result, the drone will become another "ghost ship" polluting the environment. The company that sent him to the sea will suffer huge losses.
In addition, to prevent such a ship from delivering cargo, according to the captain, any, even the simplest non-standard situation that arose on board can. People solve such minor problems usually in a few minutes. On an unmanned ship, there will be no one to do this.
Also, such ships, according to Brennan, can become a tidbit for pirates. There will be no one to defend such a vessel, or at least notify the coast guard in the process of transporting cargo on a drone about an impending attack.
Prospects
Despite the fact that the operation of unmanned vehicles and the trade with their use are associated with the risk of cargo loss, experts consider this type of transport to be quite promising at the moment.
To control such a boat you need only a few people who will follow him from the shore - from the office. Saving on the recruitment of a team, according to many entrepreneurs, covers any risks of losses as a result of a loss of communication, an attack by pirates or an unusual situation.
According to experts, after 5 years the use of unmanned vehicles for the transport of goods will become quite commonplace and routine. In this case, of course, amendments will be made to the existing legal maritime legislation. Unmanned vessels must be included in all international maritime regimes.