Unmanned cargo ships

The manpower shortage likely in the future is unlikely to be overcome by a further slimming of existing crews because it is recognised that the strain placed on the remaining crew will compromise effectiveness and safety. A new concept in ship design and operation is therefore required if the predicted manpower shortages are to be overcome and further cost reductions achieved. Unmanned ships have been proposed as a possible solution overcoming the manpower problem, and in this paper the results of a technical and economic appraisal of a fully automated unmanned cargo ship are presented within the context of expected world developments in the next decades