Maritime Risk International
Autonomous shipping already in use
Ørnulf Jan Rødseth, general manager, Norwegian Forum for Autonomous Ships, opened the debate with strong evidence that semi-autonomous vessels are already operating on coastal services in Norway. "Since spring 2022, the world's first semi-autonomous container ship has been transporting mineral fertiliser from the Yara production facility in Porsgrunn to the regional export port in Brevik. The vessel is actually autonomous but still operates with a crew of three and is remotely controlled from a control centre," he reported.