China-made smart cargo ship testing deeper into blue sea

The world's first autonomous container ship, "Zhifei" has accumulated more than 48,000 nautical miles of navigation off the coast of east China, during which it made over 1 million independent decisions, according to the ship's developer.

The 300-TEU container ship, delivered in 2022, has been put into service at the port of Qingdao in east China's Shandong Province. It carried out 353 voyages last year, transporting a total of 80,800 TEUs of cargo. Its maximum single-journey distance covered 89 nautical miles.

Sailing at a speed of 12 knots, the ship is equipped with advanced assisted driving, remote control, and fully autonomous navigation systems, according to Navigation Brilliance (Qingdao) Technology Co., Ltd., a national high-tech enterprise for intelligent shipping.

Zhu Shenchao, deputy general manager of the company, said that through high-precision positioning with BeiDou and 5G communication technology, "Zhifei" had achieved full-process autonomous navigation from berth to berth.

Compared to traditional ships, Zhu said, "Zhifei" had 30 percent less crew members, decreased the risk of human error by 80 percent, and saved approximately 200,000 yuan (about 27,468 U.S. dollars) in comprehensive operating costs each month.

In collaboration with the China Waterborne Transport Research Institute under the Ministry of Transport, the company has received approval from the Shandong Maritime Safety Administration to participate in the construction of the country's first intelligent ship offshore testing area, covering a water area of 220 square nautical miles.

In the test area, the autonomous vessel has completed over 3,000 collision avoidance simulation tests under complex meteorological conditions. Its error rate was 0.02 percent.

Rising labor cost is a challenge for the traditional shipping industry. According to industry insiders, labor costs now accounts for approximately one-third of the operating costs for bulk carriers of 10,000 tonnes or larger.

"Intelligent shipping is not merely about replacing human roles, but about making shipping safer and more efficient. This is the essential path for China to transform from a major shipping nation to a strong maritime power," said Jiang Haiying, chairman of Navigation Brilliance.

The company plans to focus on the high-end intelligent vessel market such as liquefied natural gas carriers, and aims to assist in the updating traditional ships through modular technology output.