DNV-GL’s shortsea ship of the future is unmanned

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It has been a busy week for German-Scandinavian classification society DNV-GL. As the world’s maritime industries meet at the biennial SMM trade fair in Hamburg it has made use of the gathering to unveil a range of future ship designs and technological innovations. One of the most intriguing is this concept of a battery-powered driverless shortsea ship that has been given the slightly ridiculous name of ReVolt. Capable of carrying 100teu, it would have a 3,000kW battery and offer a steaming speed of around 8 knots – think of it as shipping’s answer to Amazon’s drone delivery vision.