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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Future Transp.
Sec. Freight Transport and Logistics
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/ffutr.2024.1443271

Conceptual design of an Autonomous Single Container Vessel

Provisionally accepted
Jouke Hompes Jouke Hompes 1Max Hendriks Max Hendriks 1Jelle Cuijpers Jelle Cuijpers 1Ties Wolterbeek Ties Wolterbeek 1Wouter Sougé Wouter Sougé 1Yoshinari Nishiki Yoshinari Nishiki 2Vittorio Garofano Vittorio Garofano 1Jovana Jovanova Jovana Jovanova 1*
  • 1 Delft University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands
  • 2 Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Ikoma, Japan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The growth of maritime shipping is leading to the creation of larger vessels.However, this expansion in size brings with it several challenges, including the development of maritime infrastructure, the potential for growth in third world countries, and the emission of greenhouse gases. At present, there is no way to transport a single container overseas with a minimal carbon footprint. This research examines the design of an autonomous ship that is capable of transporting a single standardized 40 ft. container overseas using mainly passive propulsion methods. Using advanced design tools, including CAD software and CFD simulations, as well as conducting a comprehensive analysis of relevant literature, the designs for a hull and sails were developed, and an overview of the potential active control systems required for autonomous operation was provided.The study also performed an initial analysis of strength, stability, and velocity to validate the design choices. The results of the study indicate that it is possible to design and manufacture a mainly passively propelled ship capable of transporting a 40 ft. standardized container overseas and rethink the logistics at scale.

    Keywords: Maritime shipping, Small-scale, Sustainable, Autonomous, Design

    Received: 03 Jun 2024; Accepted: 23 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Hompes, Hendriks, Cuijpers, Wolterbeek, Sougé, Nishiki, Garofano and Jovanova. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jovana Jovanova, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 2628 CD, Netherlands

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.