21.06.2017
Rolls-Royce has announced it has made maritime history after demonstrating the world’s first remotely operated commercial vessel.
The British engineering company has partnered with the global towage operation, Svitzer.
From the quay side in Copenhagen harbour in Denmark, the vessel’s captain stationed at the vessel’s remote base at Svitzer headquarters, berthed the vessel alongside the quay, undocked, turned 360°, and piloted it to the Svitzer HQ, before docking again.
Rolls-Royce has only just made news of the demonstration public.
The companies have also signed an agreement to continue their cooperation to test remote and autonomous operations for vessels.
The president of marine for Rolls-Royce, Mikael Makinen, witnessed the demonstration.
“It was an honour to be present at what I believe was a world first and a genuinely historic moment for the maritime industry. We’ve been saying for a couple of years that a remotely operated commercial vessel would be in operation by the end of the decade,” he said.
“Thanks to a unique combination of Svitzer’s operational knowledge and our technological expertise, we have made that vision a reality much sooner than we anticipated,” he added.
Source : Rolls-Royce & YBW