Global shipping container systems
Over the past few decades container shipping has completely transformed the industry from a romanticized image of a mariner circumnavigating the world to an efficiency driven network with almost unimaginable layers of complexity. The crews themselves have gotten smaller; only 20 men are required to operate the world’s largest container ship, the Triple-E. Despite this, crew costs still make up a significant portion of the finances involved with a sea voyage. As a result, an increasing number of systems involved have become digitized and automated. The crews don’t have many opportunities to enter into the port city, and know nothing about the cargo they are transporting in the containers. Most of the ship’s operation and navigation is handled by computers and GPS, leaving the crew as only a human precaution to execute commands and respond to unexpected and emergency situations.
The EU has launched the MUNIN (Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence in Networks) in an effort to automate parts of, and ultimately the entire industry. Consolidating almost all the variables into a single automated system will allow for far greater efficiency and lower energy use. The systems will be updated in real time outlining any inclement weather to avoid or delays that may occur at port. A ship would use less fuel traveling slower to arrive precisely when a dock opens up.
Rolls Royce has started developing an augmented reality system which consolidates data from cameras, sensors and GPS for improved ship operation, alerting the bridge of any emergencies which may occur, and projecting a live visual representation of what is happening. Such a system could further improve navigating in ice water or among small fishing boats; bother extremely difficult maneuvers due to limited visibility and information, as well as extremely challenging for a computer to perform.
But perhaps the most integral part of the system is the modular shipping container. Pritzker Prize winning architect Shigeru Ban used them for an international project not because of their ease of transport but instead by their global availability. They are responsible for introducing third world cities into the global trade network by establishing a standardized module common across the world. This is supported by a highly complex system of GPS, cranes an modes of transport that allow for global connectivity and distribution. When a ship arrives at port a first line of cranes unloads the containers. Crane operators are given instruction by a computer on which containers to remove, as not all get removed at every port. From there, a second system of cranes organizes the containers within the port, positioning them for accessibility and time, as which containers are in transit at the port and will be loaded onto another ship, and which will be moved inland by rail or truck. Computers handle the extremely complex operation of where to position the container so it will be ready to be transfer, and map out the path the container will need to take, potentially across multiple ports. A third set of cranes loads and unloads the containers on to the trucks and trains. Containers with perishable cargo are refrigerated and insulated, while transmitting live data about the status of their contents to the owner. The container’s owner would know that something has malfunctioned before the ship’s crew finds out.
“ The invisible network that keeps the world running “
BBC
Tim Maughan
February 9, 2015
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150209-the-network-that-runs-the-world
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140818-robot-ships-poised-to-set-sail