Reality or science fiction?
Today we’re sharing this fascinating article from Maersk – they’re looking forward into the future. A future that is full of drones carrying custom built containers to unmanned vessels.
“A giant container ship looms into view on the horizon. From a distance it looks like one of the many thousands of container vessels plying the world’s oceans at any given moment, but there is a difference – this ship has no captain and no crew. And it never calls at port.
The ship stops far out at sea. Suddenly a flock of drones whizzes overhead to the vessel, latching on to the containers and depositing them safely onshore. The containers are made of a super-strength, lightweight plastic that was 3D-printed at the port to fit the cargo dimensions.
The drones return to the vessel, this time bearing new cargo, which is slotted into place by an army of on-board robots, before the unmanned ship continues on its journey.
It may sound like science fiction, but all these technologies – from drones to 3D printing, to automation and robotics are available today – the big question is how will they impact on the future of shipping?”
Excerpt and images taken directly from here.
