CHINA
will lead all nations in the development and implementation of autonomous
shipping within five years, a
research report by technology and innovation consultancy Thetius predicts.
Thetius analysts calculated the
maritime autonomous surface shipping market will grow by seven per cent per year to
US$1.5 billion by 2025.
Researchers unearthed 3,000
patents relating to autonomous shipping technology worldwide. They found 96 per
cent of these were registered in China, reported London's Riviera Maritime
Media.
Most of those patents were
registered in the last five years by a small group of Chinese universities and
private companies, says Thetius director Nick Chubb.
"The incredible amount of
recent patent activity indicates significant research and development funding
has been made available to Chinese researchers building the next generation of
autonomous shipping technology,"said Mr Chubb. "The Chinese
government is highly supportive of the sector, having recently set up a 777 km2
autonomous shipping testbed in Guangdong."
In this testbed site,
Zhuhai-based technology group Yunzhou Tech completed trials with autonomous
cargo ship Jin Dou Yun 0 Hao in December 2019.
This 12.9 metre vessel carried a
cargo from Dong Ao island, Guangdong province, to a pier by the Hong
Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge. It was operated by automatic navigation technology
and remote control, and powered from an electrical plant.
Jin Dou Yun 0 Hao is seen as a
platform for advancing the technological progress and industrial development of
intelligent ships in China. Yunzhou Tech said it would further test this vessel
and look for commercial operators and applications.
Also in December 2019,
Qingdao-based smart ship technology group Navigation Brilliance contracted
Yangfan Shipbuilding's Qingdao Shipyard to construct 300-TEU autonomous
container ship, Zhi Fei, for shortsea operations from the third quarter 2021.
This ship is being developed by
Navigation Brilliance in conjunction with Dalian Maritime University and China
Waterborne Transport Research Institute.
Yunzhou Tech has also partnered
with Zhuhai Port Shipping to develop unmanned cargo ships, which could lead to
more shipyard orders this decade.
Zhuhai port plans to expand its
river and coastal cargo transportation fleet after raising US$145 million in
May 2019. It intends to spend this cash on a fleet of 50 vessels, including
newbuildings and potentially autonomous vessels.
Source : HKSG.
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