Autonomous Ships Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2021 - 2026)

Market Overview

The autonomous ships market is anticipated to register a CAGR of above 5% during the forecast period.

• The demand for autonomous and remotely controlled ships is growing at a rapid pace, due to the developments in sensor technology, connectivity at sea, and analysis and decision support software and algorithms (artificial intelligence) for various onboard applications, like navigation and situational awareness.
• The autonomy of the shipping industry is expected to reduce the maritime emissions, enable massive fuel savings, and save about 20% of the cost incurred for the shipping operators. Additionally, according to the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), 58% of accidental events and 70% of accidental events were attributed to human error on shipboard operations. This technology is anticipated to apprehend such accidents due the human error on the bridges of the vessel, thereby, reducing the accidents onboard.
• In several countries, like Finland, the United Kingdom, Norway, South Korea, China, and Japan, various companies (in different industries, like shipbuilding, engine manufacturers, big data, and other software providers) are collaborating and forming research alliances to increase the human-machine interface and incorporate autonomy into the naval architecture. Such collaborations are expected to propel the growth of the market during the forecast period.
• The cost for integration of autonomy into naval vessels, the threat of cybersecurity, and the reliability of software and machinery aboard the vessels are anticipated to act as barriers for the growth of the autonomous ships market during the forecast period.

Scope of the Report

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) defined maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) as a ship that, to a varying degree, can operate independently of human interaction. It identified four degrees of autonomy in ships, which are defined as follows:

• Degree one: A ship that is operated by seafarers with some of the processes automated.
• Degree two: Remotely controlled ship, controlled and operated from a different location with seafarers on board.
• Degree three: Remotely controlled ship, controlled and operated from a different location without seafarers on board.
• Degree four: Fully autonomous ship, with an operating system that will make decisions and determine actions by itself.

The military segment of the market study includes autonomous ships and unmanned surface vehicles.

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Key Market Trends

The Commercial Segment of the Market is Anticipated to Register the Highest Growth During the Forecast Period

The development of new autonomous naval vessels with the advancement of technologies and the incorporation of sensor systems in commercial vessels, like cargo vehicles, passenger ferries, and other platforms, are anticipated to propel the growth of autonomy in the commercial segment. Integration of autonomy is a costly and slow process, especially in the maritime industry, as the adoption rate of new technologies is relatively slower compared to other transportation systems. Therefore, commercial operators are starting with remote-controlled vessels and making long term plans to replace traditional ships with autonomous ships. Some of the liner shipping companies, like Maersk, CMA CGM, and Hapag-Lloyd, and cruise operators have established remote operating centers (ROCs) for their fleets for several years. These help in monitoring the data on the bridge and assist the crew on board in operating the vessel. Additionally, Yara Birkeland is an autonomous 120 TEU container ship, which is currently under construction. Yara International plans to launch manned vessels in 2020 initially. With steady implementations of autonomous functions, the vessel is anticipated to perform autonomous unmanned operations by 2022. Some of the companies are collaborating with technology providers and accelerating the development of new autonomous ships. For instance, Rolls Royce, one of the pioneers of the autonomous technology, successfully demonstrated Falco, the world’s first fully autonomous ferry, in December 2018 in collaboration with Finferries, the Finnish state-owned ferry operator.

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