Several of Denmark’s top shipping names have banded together with an eye to developing Denmark’s first autonomous, environmentally friendly ship.
The entity, dubbed ShippingLab, brings together the expertise of J Lauritzen together with Maersk Tankers, DFDS, Torm and a range of other shipping companies.
The non-profit organization, which will run for an initial three years, also involves industrial maritime suppliers, research and technology institutions and universities.
The group’s goal is for industry and academia to work together with the purpose of solving “practical issues to the benefit of society”.
ShippingLab says the focus of its efforts will be on four work streams: digital ship operations, autonomy, decarbonisation and management, integration and outreach.
The workstream on digital ship operation will focus on the development of intelligent solutions, for instance by adopting machine-learning data analytics.
Decarbonisation will focus on areas such as the electrification of ship propulsion and the use of multiple power sources in a hybrid setup.
ShippingLab says the goal is to introduce clean tech solutions with low or no carbon footprint, to be used during port stay.
The partnership is supported by various Danish Funds including the Danish Innovation Fund (Innovationsfonden), the Danish Maritime Fund and Lauritzen Fonden.
