© The Economist Intelligence Unit, 2016.
Sponsored byPart of the PRODUCERS OF TOMORROW series
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ROLLS-ROYCE• Rolls-Royce Marine contributed 10% of the company's underlying revenue in 2015, or £1.3bn• Focused on growth opportunities in the offshore merchant and naval market segments
INMARSAT • Satellite telecommunications provider• Listed on the London Stock ExchangeDELTAMARIN
• Ship designer• Headquartered in Finland• Subsidiary of AVIC International Maritime Holdings Limited
• State-owned, non-profit firm• Past projects have included the fields of biotechnology, digital society and low-carbon energy sources
• Participating academic institutions: Aalto University, Abo Akademi University, Tampere University, University of Turku
In February 2015, Tekes, a Finnish government agency that finances research and innovation projects, provided €6.6m to a joint industry-academic initiative to produce shipping vessels that operate without human crews. The group is led by the 132-year-old manufacturer Rolls-Royce. The goal is to create a proof of concept by 2017 and to commercialise by 2020. Producing a self-driving vessel that will potentially disrupt the industry requires collaboration across multiple areas.
How to make smart ships
Rolls-Royce is developing automation, remote control propulsion and deck machinery technology, with an eye to rapid commercialisation.
Inmarsat is workingon how to transfer datafrom the driverless shipsto on-shore operators.
Deltamarin is analysing and simulating the effects of autonomous operations on ship design.
VTT Technical Research Centreof Finland is focused on thesafety and security challenges of autonomous ships.
A group of Finnish universities are exploring the legal and commercial implications of remote and autonomous shipping.
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