Four years after having put what it said was the world’s first autonomous, electric container feeder ship into commercial service, Chinese officials report the ship successfully completed an autonomous docking procedure.
It was the first time the vessel named Zhi Fei completed the autonomous docking procedure, with Chinese officials saying it improves efficiency and reduces the time and manpower needed for berthing.
The Zei Fei is a 300 TEU container feeder ship that entered commercial servicesin April 2022.
It is approximately 110 meters in length. It was designed to operate in three different modes, crew-managed navigation, remote-controlled navigation from a shore station, or unmanned autonomous navigation.
The autonomous berthing took place at the Qingdao Port Terminal in Shandong Province on February 21.
The autonomous navigation capability positioned the ship alongside the berth, and a vacuum-type automated mooring system using a form of suction cups adhered to the hull to secure the ship.
The report said it took just 30 seconds to dock the ship, reducing the berthing time.
The berth is also capable of autonomous loading and off-loading with operations coordinated by an autonomous crane and autonomous trucks.
The ship is operated by Navigation Brilliance (BRINAV). It runs between Qingdao Port in Shandong Province and Dongjiakou.
According to the reports, its longest single journey distance is 89 nautical miles, and it sails at speeds up to 12 knots.
BRINAV reports the ship completed 353 voyages transporting over 80,800 TEU last year.
Since going into service, they report it has traveled more than 48,000 nautical miles, and the systems have made more than 1 million independent decisions.
“Intelligent shipping is not merely about replacing human roles but also about making shipping safer and more efficient,” Jiang Haiying, chairman of Navigation Brilliance, told the Chinese media.
“This is the essential path for China to transform from a major shipping nation to a strong maritime power.”
The company says the ship has operated with 30 per cent fewer crew members than a conventional ship and decreased the risk of human error by 80 per cent. It says it saves approximately $27,500 each month in operating costs.
