Rolls-Royce has revealed plans for autonomous and remote-controlled cargo ships that can transport goods without needing a single human on board.
According to a white paper published by the transportation company, multiple ships could be controlled by crew from a land-based control hub. Without the requirement to house or service crew, autonomous ships would be cheaper and also have more room for cargo, the paper argued.
Rolls-Royce presented its vision of the future at the 2016 Autonomous Ship Technology Symposium in Amsterdam.
Speaking at the Symposium, Rolls-Royce's vice president of marine innovation, Oskar Levander, said: "This is happening. It's not if, it's when. The technologies needed to make remote and autonomous ships a reality exist."
Sensor arrays that could be used to help steer autonomous vessels are already being tested in a range of weather conditions in Finland and Rolls-Royce has created an early version of the ship control simulation to test how the system might work in reality.
"We will see a remote-controlled ship in commercial use by the end of the decade," said Levander.
The future of autonomous shipping isn't exactly plain sailing, however – the white paper outlines concerns unmanned vessels are more vulnerable to hijacking or piracy.
Hacking could also be an issue. Earlier this year Nissan had to pull its NissanConnect EV app after it was found its software could be hacked to remote control in-car systems. Rolls-Royce's white paper doesn't go into specifics about combatting these security threats, but notes "remote and autonomous ships shall be made at least as safe as existing vessels."