How much of daily manual operations at sea will be made redundant by 2035? The latest from Ship Concept 2035, our new magazine.
How has your job changed over the past 10 years? Is the workload similar? That’s the kind of thoughts we asked Splash readers to contemplate in our survey with one of the key questions posed asking how much of daily manual operations at sea will be made redundant by 2035.
For all the hype about tech’s ability to streamline every facet of work, most respondents felt that the vast majority of manual operations would still be performed by seafarers 10 years from now.
“We see technology as an enabler that will remove a lot of the mundane repetitive tasks allowing maritime professionals at sea and ashore to focus on the parts of the operation where they can add more value,” says Nick Copley, co-CEO of Ocean Technologies Group, a training specialist.
Advancements in automation will change the way work is performed, and possibly where those jobs are performed, according to Copley, but seafaring knowledge and skills will still be needed to ensure safe, reliable and responsible shipping for many years to come.
“Enhanced connectivity facilitates training, remote support, and real-time data exchange, contributing to better decision-making and operational competence,” says Masaki Matsunaga, executive vice president at ClassNK, who, like Copley, sees seafarers continuing to carry out the majority of manual operations.
Routine monitoring, reporting, and maintenance diagnostics will be automated or shifted ashore by 2035, predicts Ajay Chaudhry, who heads up shipmanagement at Synergy Marine Group.
“We anticipate up to 40% automation of current manual tasks over the next decade, but also a commensurate rise in new skill demands for those going out to sea,” Chaudhry tells Splash.
However, tasks requiring immediate judgment, evaluation, or coordination, and any form of emergency response, will always need people onboard, he stresses. As an example, Chaudhry sites how the first law of the sea is to help those in peril, saying it is hard to see how an autonomous vessel could undertake even the most basic of the search and rescue operations that seafarers perform every day.
That said, Chaudhry does admit machinery reliability also needs to evolve.
“Systems such as ballast water treatment and exhaust scrubbers continue to demand significant manual intervention across the fleet—highlighting that automation must be paired with robust design and ongoing technical support,” he points out.
Manish Singh, who leads Aboutships, a UK maritime advisory, sees up to half of repetitive tasks disappearing from seafarer daily routines come 2035.
“Some maintenance activities will shift from done while at sea to done while in port and involve in-port crew,” he says.
Retained roles will focus on watchkeeping, critical safety and compliance, mooring, cargo care, repairs and maintenance, Singh reckons while a lot of the onboard workflow will be digitally assisted in areas such as reporting, routing, and documentation.
“With better connectivity and extensive sensors onboard, decision support systems, and AI tools, much of the manual monitoring and form-filling will go,” Singh predicts.
To access the whole of Ship Concept 2035 for free online, click here.
