Rolls-Royce to Establish Autonomous Shipping Research Center
Rolls-RoyceRolls-Royce said it will establish a research and development center for autonomous shipping and increasing digitalization in the marine industry.
The manufacturer said it partnered with the Finnish funding agency for innovation, Tekes, to start the research facility in Turku, Finland.
The facility will focus on the development of land-based control centers, and the use of artificial intelligence in future remote and autonomous shipping operations, according to Rolls-Royce.
“Digitalization will transform the shipping industry in the years ahead, and the time is now right to set out how we are going to make this happen. Over the coming years we need to invest globally to develop the required capabilities and to establish a range of market-ready products and systems to take advantage of what is a significant global market opportunity,” Mikael Mäkinen, president of Rolls-Royce Marine, said in a statement.
The center will allow Rolls-Royce to extend its ‘Power by the Hour’ service, proven in its aerospace business, which makes use of ‘big data’ to monitor, plan and perform maintenance and repairs on onboard ship equipment, according to the company.
Rolls-Royce“We are pleased to see the establishment of a center for Remote Control & Autonomous Ships in Finland, and welcome the continued support from Tekes. We are looking at further funding and capability opportunities in countries including Finland, Norway, UK and Singapore to develop our ship intelligence technology and build customer partnerships worldwide,” Asbjørn Skaro, Rolls-Royce Marine, director of digital and systems, said in a statement.
Rolls-Royce is already investing in research projects in Norway including a marine fleet management center for remote monitoring, data analysis, optimization of ships and their onboard equipment.
The British transportation firm previously signed a partnership with Finland’s VTT Technical Research Center “to design, test and validate the first generation of remote and autonomous ships.”
“Rolls-Royce is pioneering the development of remote-controlled and autonomous ships and believes a remote-controlled ship will be in commercial use by the end of the decade. The company is applying technology, skills and experience from across its businesses to this development,” Rolls-Royce previously said in a statement.
