China’s first autonomous container ship completes 48,000 nautical miles

It completed 353 voyages last year, carrying 80,800 TEUs of cargo.

The world’s first autonomous container ship, “Zhifei,” has sailed more than 48,000 nautical miles off east China, making over 1 million independent decisions, according to developer Navigation Brilliance (Qingdao) Technology Co., Ltd via Xinhua report.

The 300-TEU vessel, delivered in 2022, completed 353 voyages last year from the port of Qingdao, transporting 80,800 TEUsof cargo. Its longest single journey was 89 nautical miles.

Operating at speeds of up to 12 knots, Zhifei is equipped with advanced assisted driving, remote control, and fully autonomous navigation systems.

Deputy General Manager Zhu Shenchao highlighted that, with high-precision positioning via BeiDou and 5G communication technology, the vessel has achieved fully autonomous navigation from berth to berth.

Zhifei requires 30% fewer crew members, reduces human error risk by 80%, and saves roughly 200,000 yuan (about 27,468 U.S. dollars) in monthly operating costs.

In partnership with the China Waterborne Transport Research Institute, the company is building China’s first offshore intelligent ship testing area, covering 220 square nautical miles. Zhifei has completed over 3,000 collision avoidance simulations there, with a 0.02% error rate.

Rising labor costs, which account for about a third of operating costs for large bulk carriers, make intelligent shipping increasingly attractive.

The company said it also plans to focus on high-end vessels, such as liquefied natural gas carriers, and modernise traditional ships with modular technology.