Unmanned Ships: Iridium, Rolls-Royce Partner on Autonomy

As the global maritime industry increases the level of automation and ship-to-shore connection, the move toward autonomy is gaining steam in certain sectors. While it is generally agreed among industry insiders that full autonomous operations on ships traversing the world's oceans is a generation or more away, there are some significant strides being made on shorter, point-to-point inland and coastal routes, as well as evolving the technology in a manner that automates onboard systems to help reduce crewing and workloads. 

With the evolution comes an increasing web of partnerships industry-wide, the latest announced today between satellite communication power Iridium and Rolls-Royce Marine to support autonomous vessels development.

A strong, reliable connection is the backbone to any autonomous shipping operation, and the companies intend to work together on ways to incorporate Iridium’s  L-band satellite broadband service, Iridium Certus, into the RRM suite of Ship Intelligence solutions.  

The Iridium network is comprised of 66 cross-linked LEO satellites that blanket the entire planet with reliable satellite connectivity, which enables a portfolio of maritime applications, including voice and data communications, and is poised to supercharge these capabilities with Iridium Certus.