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"Sea Hunter" Drone Ship Sails Autonomously to Hawaii and Back to San Diego

So how does this autonomous ship make out that theres a sailboat out in front ? Does it just avoid regardless ?

1. The sailboat ought to have a radar reflector to announce its presence.

2. Contrary to popular belief, steam doesn't give way to sail any more. Leisure gives way to commercial.
1.Which is fine until the ship comes across a dismasted sailboat or one that has had the radar deflector ripped off in a Gale.
2. The Colregs still state that both vessels have the ultimate responsibility to avoid collision. If a ship is barreling towards a sailboat which is desperately trying to maneuver out of the ships way the skipper wouldn't get away with "well I HAD the right of way" after it sank the boat.
The tactics for a sub being hunted by them would then be, Make like a yacht.
and in return the sub would be trying to turn the 'drone vessel' into a sub :)
 
1.Which is fine until the ship comes across a dismasted sailboat or one that has had the radar deflector ripped off in a Gale.
2. The Colregs still state that both vessels have the ultimate responsibility to avoid collision. If a ship is barreling towards a sailboat which is desperately trying to maneuver out of the ships way the skipper wouldn't get away with "well I HAD the right of way" after it sank the boat.

and in return the sub would be trying to turn the 'drone vessel' into a sub :)
In which case, hopefully, the drone would use the same software to avoid a dismasted yacht as it will use to avoid whales and shipping containers lost in storms.
 
I’ve written a couple of articles on this over the years. Truth is, a lot of at-sea maintenance is now done in port - by comparison with historically.

I see mechanical systems being designed to cope with the absence of crew.


Master F has just finished his third and final year at nautical engineering and from his description, pretty much ties in with what you said.

At sea most of the time was watching dials or cleaning out the sewage system, any major parts were fixed in port, often by teams specially flown in. The ships just don't carry an array of spares to fix things.
 
In which case, hopefully, the drone would use the same software to avoid a dismasted yacht as it will use to avoid whales and shipping containers lost in storms.
I'm not really against having autonomy to assist Commercial Vessels but I cannot see a time when they will be unmanned on the bridge. It would have to be some awesome software to detect stricken sailboats and containers in a storm. My best friend has a 36' sailboat and we have practiced MOB procedures on Lake Ontario and found that it is surprisingly easy to lose sight of the MOB in even 3' swells never mind a 30' sea state. (Our MOB was 3x5 gallon water containers tied together btw.)
 
Master F has just finished his third and final year at nautical engineering and from his description, pretty much ties in with what you said.

At sea most of the time was watching dials or cleaning out the sewage system, any major parts were fixed in port, often by teams specially flown in. The ships just don't carry an array of spares to fix things.

There is in fact a real worry about skill fade - as described to me, "You just don't see the spanner rash on nuts and bolt that you used to."

Removing crews also removes some of the polluting elements of vessel operation, such as waste water disposal. I see no reason why a crew-less ship should have any lesser or greater issues with its ballast water treatment system operation, and if such as filters are an issue then fit bigger ones or design them to be more robust.

Autonomy will happen. Economically, from an operator perspective, it makes great sense.
 
...and here's another point(s) what happens when the drone ship is happily plodding along and another vessel fires off a Red Distress Flare, what about a vessel giving it a 'Mayday' Mayday' 'Mayday'. would the ship go against the rules and just glide on by ?
 
'Kin ell, This is just a weeks worth of headlines. It seems that the industry does need some help !!
Full link to 253+ pages of Shipping Incidents.

Wind farm support ship hit freighter in Baltic sea
Feb. 19, 2019 at 13:53 by Mikhail Voytenko
Wind farm support ship WORLD BORA collided with cargo ship RABA at around 0750 LT Feb 19 in Baltic sea off Rugen island, Germany. RABA was en route from Denmark to Szczecin Poland. Judging from damages sustained by both ships

Two vessels collided near Island Rügen, Germany
Feb. 19, 2019 at 09:38 by Lars Brandstäter
WORLD BORA and RABA were involved in an incident this Morning 2019-02-19, around 7AM where at least four people are supposed to be injured. One has been flown out with a helicopter. Police, DGzRS, FireDepartment and SAR have been involved

Bulk carrier hull breached, but no leak reported
Feb. 19, 2019 at 04:52 by Mikhail Voytenko
Hull of grounded bulk carrier SOLOMON TRADER was breached, in engine room area, according to Feb 18 official statement if National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) of Solomon Islands. However, no oil spill occurred so far, adds NDMO. Salvage is hampered ... continue reading

Ferry fire, Java, Indonesia
Feb. 18, 2019 at 13:38 by Mikhail Voytenko
Fire erupted on board of ferry PANORAMA NUSANTARA, at Semarang Ship Repair Yard, central northern Java, around noon Feb 18. The ship is under repairs, there was no one on board when fire started, thanks to lunch break. 6 engines ...

Latvian freighter aground in Black sea VIDEO
Feb. 16, 2019 at 12:39 by Mikhail Voytenko
General cargo ship FEHN LYRA ran aground in Black sea some 2 nm off Kefken, east of Bosphorus, Turkey coast, at around 0300 LT Feb 16. The ship was en route from Istanbul to Eregli, Turkey, Black sea. Bad weather

2 fishing vessels burned, 1 sank, 11 dead and missing
Feb. 16, 2019 at 07:07 by Mikhail Voytenko
FV ZHONG YUAN YU 11 FV ZHONG YUAN YU 11 sank after collision with Spanish trawler PESCA VAQUEIRO (IMO 8521335) in the morning Feb 15 NW of Falkland Islands, all 30 crew were rescued by nearby fishing vessels. TROPICAL 1

German freighter cut in two Peruvian passenger ship deep in Amazon jungle
Feb. 15, 2019 at 15:16 by Mikhail Voytenko
UPDATE: It looks like BBC ZARATE was anchored, while carrying out cargo operations, with No.1 Hold open. Passenger ship lost control or miscalculated her movements, and rammed into BBC ZARATE bow. General cargo ship BBC ZARATE in the morning

Disabled Croatian tanker blocked Suez Canal
Feb. 15, 2019 at 13:26 by Mikhail Voytenko
Chemical tanker POMER suffered reportedly, a blackout, while transiting Suez in Northbound Convoy, at around 0730 UTC Feb 15, below Great Bitter Lake. Tanker blocked traffic in both directions, and as of 1300 UTC, traffic still seemed to be blocked

Luxury cruise ship VIKING JUPITER damaged in maiden voyage
Feb. 15, 2019 at 04:47 by Mikhail Voytenko
Brand new cruise ship VIKING JUPITER in understood, her maiden cruise, collided with pier in the morning Feb 14, while berthing at Piraeus, Greece, with 607 passengers on board. Ship sustained stb damages above waterline, including a small breach of

Chilean Navy ship grounding in Beagle Channel, Cape Horn
Feb. 13, 2019 at 13:51 by Mikhail Voytenko
Chilean Navy troops ship AQUILES ran aground while leaving Puerto Williams, Beagle Channel, Cape Horn area, southernmost Chile. The ship reportedly, strayed off fairway after bumping into buoy, at around 1400 LT Feb 12. Accident was caused by a strong

Cruise ship NORWEGIAN EPIC interrupted cruise, destroyed pier at San Juan VIDEO
Feb. 13, 2019 at 03:45 by Mikhail Voytenko
Cruise ship NORWEGIAN EPIC suffered power loss and failure of one of engines on Feb 11, while on Caribbean cruise, had to interrupt cruise and headed for San Juan, Puerto Rico, at a reduced speed. On arrival to San Juan

Bulk carrier aground, Solomon Islands
Feb. 13, 2019 at 03:09 by Mikhail Voytenko
Bulk carrier SOLOMON TRADER was pushed aground in Kangava Bay, Rennel Island, Solomon Island, in the evening Feb 4. The ship, anchored in bay, was loading bauxite since late January, weather said to be the main cause of an accident

Lighthouse vessel sank in Myanmar waters, 18 missing
Feb. 12, 2019 at 04:44 by Mikhail Voytenko
Lighthouse vessel SINPYAUNG sank on Feb 11 in waters of Rakhine State, western Myanmar, Bay of Bengal, while carrying out construction works on a lighthouse to be installed on Lattphat island. Vessel supposedly, was at anchor. Of 25 crew and...

So I'm off to read some of these fascinating headlines.. should be back in a week or two.
 
Perhaps a 'depot ship' concept (as used in WW1/2 for some submarines I believe) will negate, at least partially, the need to navigate complex harbours. Come along to DSEI and visit the Leidos stand and you can ask the designers themselves!
I'm sure an automatic ship can be programmed to run a known path just outside the river/harbour mouth until it's picked up a pilot.
 
I'm sure an automatic ship can be programmed to run a known path just outside the river/harbour mouth until it's picked up a pilot.


If ships become autonomous where are the pilots going to be trained? Most pilots were deckies in the merch before they became pilots.
 
When about 40 years ago the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities decided to standardise bouyage, lights, etc worldwide, the USA wanted to drive on the opposite side from everybody else*.

Thus it came about that are are two IALA systems, A and B.

In very brief, there are cardinal mark bouys in various patterns of yellow and black indicating North, South, East and West. And there are channel market bouys in red and green (remember, port is red). Question is, when you're in a channel into or out of a harbour, which way you're going dictates whether red is on the left and the right.

And so it came to pass that the world uses System A, except the USA (and by extension the rest of the Americas) uses System B (or it may be the other way round. It's decades since I cared).
_____
* Not strictly true. They still pass port side to port side, ie on the right, but their channel markings are the reverse of the other system.
Region ''B'' covers North, Central and South Americas, Japan, South Korea & the Philippines
 
If ships become autonomous where are the pilots going to be trained? Most pilots were deckies in the merch before they became pilots.
Well the one I knew was an International Master Mariner, but it is a good point, it would be bloody lonely sailing the seven seas in something that effectively ran itself.
 
Well the one I knew was an International Master Mariner, but it is a good point, it would be bloody lonely sailing the seven seas in something that effectively ran itself.


'Deckies' is the merch nickname for navigation officers - which includes those with Master's CoCs and all the other lesser spotted varieties.
 
Yeah-about the rush to welcome autonomous shipping:

Let me introduce you to 'Arctic Princess'

1550767764439.jpeg

121000 gt, LOA 288m and a beam just shy of 50m. She's a Norwegian LNG carrier and, on Monday this week, she left the Dragon LNG terminal here at Milford Haven, about a mile and half from my house.

At the time, Man Cub and I had the boat out on the waterway doing an engine test: at 43ft LOA and 13ft beam, mine is one of the bigger craft in the Marina.

Because of her size (Limited Ability To Manoeuvre) and cargo nature, the Port Authority is obliged, by law, to provide tug assistance (in this case 3 of the bigger ones) and a smaller tug 1nm ahead acting as a safety vessel. And a Pilot.

Given all that, I am obliged to GTF out of her way, at all times.

Now, such a beast will NEVER be allowed to move as an autonomous vessel. Certainly not in my life time.

. . . but other, smaller autonomous craft that are unable/slow to respond to wind over tide or react to instruction from the safety vessel? Yep, I don't see a problem with that at all.

No siree, Bob.
 
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