The application of autonomous sailing may require interaction with shore control centres. In contrast to uncrewed ships, for which shore control centres will be mandatory, short sea ships with reduced manning might find technical solutions which require no shore control intervention.
In case the operation and crewing model relies on the availability of shore control, these control centres need to be of the same standard as those for uncrewed vessels. There are no clear and standardised functional requirements for SCC yet, which should also include the interaction (and data exchange standards) of those shore control centres with traffic control authorities and pilots.
Development and testing of such standards is essential for the development of new regulatory instruments, both in the EU and for national legislation. Development of these standards will require a combination of testing, analysis and (simulated) behavioural studies of shore control/remote operations. Preferably, these standards will be created not specifically for one use case, but generically, with allowance for specific additional functionality as required. This opens up the possibility for larger-scale shore control centres, from which several vessel types/applications can be monitored.
The presence of shore control centres, operating to approved functional and safety standards, will be required to allow remote pilotage to be performed for these ships.
Development Area
Remote &
Remote &
Shore Control
In many smart shipping operations, there will be a need for extensive shore support, either to remotely control the ship’s operation or to monitor the operation of autonomous ships. This level of shore intervention is currently not common for shipping and will need to be developed with the involvement of many stakeholders.
2021
2030
Short sea (coastal) shipping is important to north-west Europe, and to the Netherlands in particular. Both regional transportation of goods in Europe and the redistribution of cargo from large ocean liners is performed by short sea ships. Many short sea ships are built at Dutch shipyards, and various large ship-owning companies own and operate large fleets of these vessels and operate them within European waters and beyond.
Functional requirements for Shore Control Centres (SCC)
Connectivity for SCC operation
Startup operations for SCCs
2021
2030
The Dutch ferries service sector is considered an important mode of passenger transport, mainly on inland waterways and at sea. Ferries are therefore an important link between the shore and the water for commuters, schoolchildren and recreational users. Most of these ferries are built at Dutch shipyards and are operated by public operators as well as private companies. The goal is to have an inland ferry fleet by 2030 for which autonomous sailing is no longer an unknown factor; a sector for which autonomous sailing is normalised and consequently safer and more efficient in its operations.
Functional requirements SCC
2021
2030
Inland cargo shipping refers to the transport of goods on inland waterways in the Netherlands and across our borders. In 2030, inland shipping is to have reached a level of automation described as “Human-Assisted Autonomy” (stage 3 in IMO, level 4 in CCR). We expect 25% of the total Dutch fleet of inland ships to have reached this level of automation by 2030.
Determine functional requirements
Setting up Shore Control Centers
2021
2030
Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) are perhaps the most visible smart shipping applications to date in the Netherlands. Several developers of USVs and USV technology are commercially successful in the Netherlands, and various dredging and offshore instruction companies in the Netherlands are already starting to use USVs in their daily operation.
In the context of this roadmap, we define USVs as small vessels (<20 m for inland vessels, <24 m for seagoing vessels). Unmanned Surface Vessels are, as the name implies, not equipped for the carriage of people, so small autonomous ferries are not meant in this sense. Ferries have their own challenges and different market drivers, which are described in the inland ferry use case.
Although a lot of USV technology is developed and used in a military context, this roadmap focuses on civilian applications of USVs.
Functional requirements for Shore Control Centres (SCC)
Multi-vessel control (SCC)
2021
2030
Under construction