Fjord Tests Autonomous Ships

The fjord outside the city of Trondheim has been designated the world's first testing site for autonomous waterborne vehicles.

Norwegian authorities, in collaboration with Kongsberg Seatex, Kongsberg Maritime, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, MARINTEK and Maritime Robotics, have begun testing autonomous ships in the fjord because of its size and low traffic volumes.

Speaking at the test site, Gard Ueland, President of Kongsberg Seatex, said: “We are establishing this test site in order to get momentum on development on new technology for autonomous vessels. The fact that the test site is established is creating a lot of energy in the research and university domain and also in the industry."

Watch the autonomous vehicles in action:

In other news, Rolls Royce have also announced plans to develop autonomous ships.

https://www.porttechnology.org/news/friday_focus_norwegian_fjord_tests_autonomous_ships