A task-based analysis of the economic viability of low-manned and unmanned cargo ship concepts

While successful trials for autonomously navigating ships have been conducted, commercially available unmanned cargo ships are currently unavailable. However, there are many solutions available that will allow for low-manned ship concepts long before fully unmanned ships are possible. There are many drivers for low-manned and unmanned shipping, ranging from availability of workforce, to increased safety to economic. This article investigates the economic viability of several low-manned ship concepts as well as the unmanned ship concept for a short sea container vessel. The operating cost of these concepts are compared to those of a conventional vessel. That way, an assessment can be made on the economic viability. The results show that the low-manned concepts investigated in this article are worthwhile for the ship owner, as some savings can be achieved. The economic viability of the unmanned concept is dependent on the chosen type of propulsion. •Costs for low-manned ships are comparable to fully manned ships.•The economic viability of unmanned ships is dependent on the chosen propulsion.•Additional investments to sail with fewer crew are covered by the lower manning cost.