Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 29

Thread: The future of shipping

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Posts
    5,727
    Thanks (Given)
    485
    Thanks (Received)
    3549
    Likes (Given)
    2428
    Likes (Received)
    15282

    Default

    an interesting cross views with the cheap labour costs of foreign crews it most probably never happen but my question was could it be done safely?jp

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Cebu, Philippines district of Punta Princessa.
    Posts
    1,856
    Thanks (Given)
    0
    Thanks (Received)
    39
    Likes (Given)
    0
    Likes (Received)
    36

    Post

    Hi John, expect it is possible to fully automate a ship, but i dont think it can be done for safe running, too many to go wrong to be completely unmanned, also many weather conditions to consider. just my opinion, would be just another disaster waiting to happen,
    Tony Wilding

  3. Likes Tony Taylor liked this post
  4. #13
    Tony Morcom's Avatar
    Tony Morcom Guest

    Default

    18 people at an average of say £20k a year is £360K Surely it will cost much more than that to convert and administer any such ludicrous scheme.

  5. #14
    Join Date
    Jul 2011
    Location
    Shropshire
    Posts
    852
    Thanks (Given)
    0
    Thanks (Received)
    9
    Likes (Given)
    0
    Likes (Received)
    19

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by JOHN PRUDEN View Post
    an interesting cross views with the cheap labour costs of foreign crews it most probably never happen but my question was could it be done safely?jp

    John,

    A misconception. Cheap Foreign crew are as common as hens teeth.


    Brgds

    Bill

  6. Likes Tony Taylor liked this post
  7. #15
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Sunbury Victoria Australia
    Posts
    24,991
    Thanks (Given)
    8300
    Thanks (Received)
    10126
    Likes (Given)
    106523
    Likes (Received)
    45653

    Default

    Currently there is a test being conducted off the coast of USA with unmaned ships. It will become the way of shipping within twenty years. There are now cars availble, VW, that can park themselves so why not ships. Mearsk currently have ships capable of runing with as few as five crew members. What happens if the ship runs agound? Ever heard of the Torrey Canyon, or the Costa Concordia? Bad Weather, remember the Titanic? Every day hundred, if not thousands of containers are washed over board. With most aicraft now the pilot does little, most is automated. Computers can now do all the tasks that man once had to do by hand. We delude ourselves if we think we are so superior we cannot be done without. Hard as it may seem the chnages the world has gone though since 1945 are more than ther total of all history. This is just the next phase.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

  8. #16
    Join Date
    Aug 2008
    Location
    Torquay
    Posts
    11,467
    Thanks (Given)
    3440
    Thanks (Received)
    7758
    Likes (Given)
    11953
    Likes (Received)
    34924

    Default Future shipping

    John, watching a programme last night about aircraft and automation etc, the plane could practically do everything itself but still had to have two pilots. Even though it could land itself but no one had been able to programme the computer on when to apply reverse thrust on landing or when to apply the brakes; and lets face it some of the best computing brains in the industry must have worked on trying to solve that, so we are afterall not indispensible. Ships will still need someone on the bridge when entering or leaving port when that immediate gust of wind appears from nowhere to act on the superstructure that the computer doesn't have time to programme and lets face it modern ships are just one big sail area so wind effect is more relevant now than it has been for a couple of centuries since the advent of steam.

  9. Likes Tony Taylor liked this post
  10. #17
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Sunbury Victoria Australia
    Posts
    24,991
    Thanks (Given)
    8300
    Thanks (Received)
    10126
    Likes (Given)
    106523
    Likes (Received)
    45653

    Default

    Tonight in the news images of the latest in automated vehicles. In the WA mines they now have 20 ton dump trucks fully automated, no driver required.
    In Port Chalmers I saw a fully automated goods train running, time willl see full automation in all industries. The issues spoken of will in time be solved, man will evetualy be too clever for his own good.
    Happy daze John in Oz.

    Life is too short to blend in.

    John Strange R737787
    World Traveller

  11. Likes Tony Taylor liked this post
  12. #18
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    Jakarta
    Posts
    1
    Thanks (Given)
    0
    Thanks (Received)
    0
    Likes (Given)
    0
    Likes (Received)
    4

    Default Re: The future of shipping

    I know that one day it will happen in the shipping world, shipping companies certainly want to get a small profit and risk from the use of technology, but I don't know it will come in how many decades, my friend.

  13. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2011
    Location
    Long Eaton
    Posts
    5,429
    Thanks (Given)
    793
    Thanks (Received)
    5721
    Likes (Given)
    15497
    Likes (Received)
    17505

    Default Re: The future of shipping

    Over the centuries shipping has evolved, oars, sails, steam, diesel, diesel electric were means of propulsion.
    Coal fired steamers required a larger crew than a sailing ship, but could carry more cargo.
    Diesel power, less crew, more cargo space due to using oil.
    In each step apart from sail, crew have been reduced.
    Semi-automatic engine rooms, reduced manning due to instrumentation.
    Next step piggy back E.R. controls onto to semi automatic.
    Next step full automated engine rooms.
    GPS can pinpoint a ship to within six feet of its exact location.
    Tie up E.R. Automation with satellite navigation, and the next step is no seamen required, fully automatic ship.
    I read years ago, they were discussing fully automated ships then, crew would be onboard for leaving port, once cleared crew removed. Arrival destination, docking crew taken out to the ship.
    Remember sensor technology and computer technology have jumped massively in the past few years coupled with GPS etc and Artificial Intelligent computers, a crewless fully automatic ship will happen someday in the not to distant future.
    Vic

  14. Thanks Ivan Cloherty thanked for this post
  15. #20
    Join Date
    Nov 2017
    Location
    CHESTER LE STREET
    Posts
    2,326
    Thanks (Given)
    699
    Thanks (Received)
    1255
    Likes (Given)
    12937
    Likes (Received)
    8310

    Default Re: The future of shipping

    #11
    I agree Vic, all potentially possible, however, I wonder what would happen when say for example a pipe bursts / leaks and eventually triggers the bilge pump but the pumps cant keep pace with the leak, or a fuel line ruptures and sprays fuel all over, possibly catching fire?
    Picture this, you have left port and the port crew disembark and the ship sails away but 24 hours or 3 days later the heat exchangers start to fail because the sea water intakes picked up a load of crap in port, so you are a thousand miles away from land when the plant is forced to shut down. Who will sort that out.

    I think such a large complex machine will eventually require a pair of human hands to physically locate the fault, repair or replace parts or whole pieces of kit.

    I have experienced blackouts on ships that were supposed to be blackout proof and I guess there are plenty others on here who have been in similar situations.
    I have been on a vessel with three main boiler feed pumps which all failed in succession one after the other, all caused by the same very minor failure (physically) but with major consequences.

    Main boiler shutdown due to a spurious alarm, later found to be a loose connection in a terminal block which was about 2.5metres long with about 400 terminals.
    The list goes on.
    They would need a team of super dextrous super intelligent robots on board to trace and repair, and what would happen when their batteries ran low, where would they get a recharge if the ship was blacked out and emergency batteries all useless due to being flooded with seawater (I have experienced this also, sea water main burst and deluged main switchboard, alternator and water then cascaded down to next deck and shorted all the emergency batts).
    I am finishing now as I can feel myself getting on my high horse.

  16. Thanks Fouro thanked for this post
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 1 2 3 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Hadley Shipping co
    By AJ Hawker in forum Houlder Bros
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 5th January 2018, 02:02 AM
  2. Mercantile Marine Shipping Offices / British Shipping Federation
    By j.sabourn in forum Merchant Navy General Postings
    Replies: 26
    Last Post: 6th July 2017, 06:04 AM
  3. The Future ???
    By Jacyn Wade in forum Trivia and Interesting Stuff
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 25th February 2012, 05:57 PM
  4. Replies: 7
    Last Post: 19th January 2011, 10:22 AM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •