Autonomous shipping reached a significant milestone in China, with the country’s first unmanned cargo ship completing a test voyage this December.
Yunzhou Tech, which began development of the ship in 2017 in collaboration with Wuhan University of Technology and China Classification Society and delivered it this past November, held an inaugural ceremony in the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone of China’s Guandong province on December 15. Carrying specialties from Zhuhuai’s Dong Ao island, the ship — named Jin Dou Yun 0 Hao — successfully completed a trip from the island to the Number 1 pier of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
Yunzhou says that at approximately 42.19 feet long and 12.46 feet wide (12.86 meters long and 3.8 meters wide) and designed to travel at 8 knots, the ship can save shipbuilders more than 20% on construction costs and 20% on operation costs while reducing fuel consumption by 15% and significantly reducing emissions. The vessel is operated by automatic navigation technology and remote control and is equipped with an electrified power plant.
The maiden delivery comes after the ship had already completed a number of remote control and autonomous navigation tests, but the December voyage was the first cargo-carrying test of an autonomous navigation cargo ship in China.
Yunzhou president Zhang Yunfei said the company will further test the ship and actively explore commercial use for it.
“Jin Dou Yun 0 Hao is an important platform for advancing the technological progress and industrial development of intelligent ships,” stated Yan Xinping, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. “It promotes the development of intelligent shipping and jointly welcomes the advent of the intelligent shipping era.”
