Drone ships will sail inland form the port of Antwerp

The first two are called River Drone 1 and River Drone 2

Yesterday, 10 remote-controlled drone ships started operating in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, serving the Naval Inland Navigation transport company. The company has already christened the first two ships: River Drone 1 and River Drone 2.

Despite the fact that the technology is not particularly new, this is one of the first times it has been deployed at scale in Europe.

The company plans to use them to service inland routes while also working to reduce its carbon footprint. On top of being drones, the ships are also hybrid electric and can be adapted to use hydrogen.

Orders from the control centre

10 ships will sail inland from the port of Antwerp, but they will not have a captain. Instead, they will be controlled from a ‘control centre’, a sort of operations tower on the shore where the captain will issue remote orders.

Each ship is equipped with the necessary technology to enable remote control in all navigation tasks. This includes sailing, steering, manoeuvring, lock passage, mooring and unmooring, communication with other vessels and authorities/controllers ashore via VHF, and communication with crew on board and persons on shore (via walkie-talkie or megaphone/intercom).

However, to perform these tasks safely and without the needed intervention from the onboard crew, the ship also runs a plethora of sensors. This includes a total of 13 cameras and two radars, as well as 4G and 5G antennas, which enable a smooth and fast connection with the control tower.

At the same time, there will also be a supervisor captain on board, according to SEAFAR, the company in charge of monitoring the ships. This is because, despite the sensors and fast, reliable internet, technology is still fallible and needs the proper supervision on board.

Geert Van Overloop, a spokesman for Naval Inland Navigation was quoted by the VRT, explaining that drone vessels offer shipping companies a way out, both in terms of energy efficiency and staff shortages, which have been a persistent problem for the sector.