BHP Billiton Considers Autonomous Vessels

Australian mining company BHP, which uses up to 1,500 ships a year to transport around 250 million tonnes of iron ore, copper and coal, wants to introduce new technologies within ten years.

BHP Billiton is analyzing the effectiveness of the implementation of a fully automated vessel for transporting iron ore and coal. This is another of the plans that the industrial company wants to implement by 2019.

BHP Billiton is also one of the world's largest bulk cargo charter companies and is looking for partners to work together to develop this technology.

According to preliminary estimates, autonomous vessels could help reduce personnel costs during the transportation of the company's iron ore in the amount of US $ 86 million per year. This direction can be combined with other projects and work in conjunction with autonomous trains.


The final plan calls for the use of unmanned vessels to sail from Australia to China within 10 days.

A similar solution is being implemented by the Rio Tinto Group, which plans to implement a plan to launch autonomous trains (without a driver) up to 76 cars in Western Australia by the end of 2018.

In 2015, a research program funded by the European Union (budget of 3.8 million euros) was completed, which analyzed the conditions for the introduction of new technology at sea. One of the conclusions is that the introduction of autonomous ships is "possible and likely."

However, according to the analysis of the British company Rolls-Royce, which has developed a prototype of virtual autonomous units, the spread of this technology at sea will be possible until 2035.