Elleda Wilson: 'Huge step forward'

Elleda Wilson, The Daily Astorian, Ore.
·1 min read

Feb. 2—Thanks to maritime writer Peter Marsh for this tip: Finferries, a Finnish ferry operator owned by the state, and Rolls Royce, have opened the door for fully autonomous ferries after a successful demonstration of the double-ended car ferry Falco.

Recently the ship was successfully navigated autonomously, under remote control, and without any human intervention whatsoever, between the cities of Parainen and Nauvo, Finland.

There were 80 invited VIP guests aboard for the occasion. The Falco detected objects in its path, and avoided them, using sensor fusion and artificial intelligence. It even docked automatically.

"Today marks a huge step forward in the journey towards autonomous shipping," Mikael Makinen, of Rolls Royce said, "and reaffirms exactly what we have been saying for several years, that autonomous shipping will happen ... This is a very proud moment for all of us, and marks our most significant milestone so far. Today's demonstration proves that the autonomous ship is not just a concept, but something that will transform shipping as we know it." (Photo: CruiseandFerry.net)