(SWZ Article) The Andorra was the first ship to go to sea with arrangements to allow the ship to sail with an unattended engine room with marine automation taking flight between 1960 and 1980.
In 1960, ships still sailed with manually operated machinery and large engine room crews. Some twenty years later, the operation of ships with unattended machinery spaces and reduced crews was well established and generally accepted in the industry.
Towards Autonomous?
Whilst the world seems certain to expect the introduction of autonomous vehicles on our roads sooner rather than later, and the marine industry has projects in hand that may lead to remotely controlled or autonomous ships, it is interesting to look back and consider how ships were first “automated”. How did it start, develop, what problems did it present and how did it affect manning requirements?
In SWZ|Maritime's May issue, SWZ editor Willem de Jong discusses how the "automation virus" took hold and what lessons may still be valid today as we move towards autonomous vessels.
Download the full article (PDF) now.
Picture: The first ship without a watch below, the Andorra.
