THIS is with reference to the article ‘Shipping future’ (June 21), which, to my eyes, painted a rather enthusiastic picture of automation in the global shipping industry and drew certain conclusions on the basis of what right now are mere futuristic assumptions. We will do well to recall what Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, and undoubtedly one of its smartest, has been telling the world for years about autonomous automobiles.

His words, or some iteration thereof, have remained unchanged. “We will probably have autonomous driving by the end of this year,” he has been saying every year since 2014. It is 2022 and, according to the head of Tesla, the world’s premier electric and semi-autonomous car manufacturer, autonomous driving is still ‘one year away’ just as it has been for the last nine years. Some may argue that it shall remain ‘a year away’ for the next decade.

This same logic and problem holds true of autonomous shipping, which is known in shipping circles as Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). In order to navigate a ship, a master and his complement of crew – limited to no more than 25 seafarers even in the largest of vessels as against 60-70 claimed in the said article – aided with sensory technology, such as sounding and radar, guide the vessel.

The collective efforts of these brave souls working in sync with each other are necessary to make sure that the ship remains functional and moving. Just to automate, say, the navigation function, which is one of the many elements in a vessel, fast and reliable communication mechanisms would be required round the clock, which can be difficult when out at sea with large dead zones and storms that may wreak havoc with communication systems, hindering contact between the ship and the shore.

Full-scale Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools would be required to gauge the conditions at sea, being mindful of numerous other conditions that collectively aid judgement and result in decisions.

As counter-intuitive as this may sound, getting rid of seafarers’ jobs and investing massive amounts of capital in research and development (R&D) in order to automate the vessels in search of peak efficiency may not be the best solution at this point in time. Part of the answer lies in history, and part in technology.

Similarly, in the case of ports and shipping, developing the largest vessels or expensive automated vessels may not be a good solution. Rather, we have to focus on more fuel-efficient, economical and green shipping that may deliver cargos across the globe at ever decreasing costs, thereby improving access and affordability.

With challenges like the climate crisis and global warming getting more and more intense, the world needs to concentrate on producing efficient engines powered by green energy sources in a cost-effective manner, saving the planet and our pockets at the same time.

As for the automation of ports, the South Asia Pakistan Terminal (SAPT) is a living example of it, and we need to concentrate on taking the process forward on that count.

Captain Anwar Shah
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2022