Norway to launch world's first automated containership

© Alexchered

The first automated containership is to set sail next year, but will start with a partial crew until 2019. It is being developed in Norway by shipping company Yara alongside engineer Kongsberg. By 2020, when the ship is fully automated, costs are expected to fall by 80%.

The first ship will have capacity for some 100 containers and will ply its trade regionally. Concerns about piracy will result in the first automated ships sticking to safe seaways, notes this Forbes article. It also predicts that in 20 to 30 years, the whole global supply chain will be automated. Let’s hope that they have sorted impenetrable cyber security by then…