China’s first smart ship was delivered in Shanghai on Dec. 5, cctv.com reported.
Energy consumption management, seaway optimization, and system maintenance will all be achieved through automatic operation of the ship.
Great Intelligence, the smart vessel, is developed and built by China State Shipbuilding Corp. It is 179 meters long, 32 meters wide, and has a capacity of 38,800 metric tons.
According to Sun Wei, deputy general manager of China State Shipbuilding Corp, the ship is the world’s first smart ship that has been accredited by Lloyd's Register and China Classification Society.
“The ship is different from ordinary commercial vessels,” said Fang Quan, deputy director of Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute. It can automatically manage energy consumption, optimize shipping lines, and control systems and devices, Fang said, adding that these tasks used to be manual.
The ship of the future will operate autonomously, Fang noted.
After put into use, the ship will transport coal and salt between China, Australia and Southeast Asia.
