[ti:World’s First Electric, Self-Driving Ship to Launch Next Year] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.20]Driverless technology will soon enter another major global industry: shipping. [00:09.48]Several companies recently announced plans [00:14.92]to launch self-sailing ships to improve safety and efficiency. [00:24.44]One of them is Norwegian chemical company Yara International. [00:32.08]Yara has teamed up with another Norwegian company, Kongsberg, [00:38.92]to build an autonomous cargo ship expected to launch next year. [00:47.32]Kongsberg developed the ship's electrical technology and autonomous control systems. [00:56.08]The ship is fully electric to reduce air pollution. [01:03.04]It is designed to carry cargo containers normally transported by truck. [01:11.12]This means the ship will also improve road safety [01:17.00]by replacing about 40,000 truck trips a year, the company said. [01:25.76]The ships will be transporting shipments from Yara's main production plant [01:32.20]to two ports where its materials are shipped to cities around the world. [01:40.40]The company plans to operate the ships by remote control beginning sometime next year. [01:49.68]By 2020, the ships should be loading and sailing themselves. [01:56.26]While Yara's ships will be limited to Norway at first, [02:02.47]the company plans to greatly expand [02:06.20]its autonomous shipping operations in the coming years. [02:12.31]Another company putting a high priority on self-sailing ships [02:18.84]is the world's largest mining company, Australia's BHP Billiton. [02:26.70]The company's Vice President of Freight, Rashpal Bhatti, [02:33.76]recently spoke about the technology in a website post. [02:40.24]Bhatti said he believes automation [02:43.70]will be one of the biggest changes for shipping in the future. [02:49.36]"Autonomous vessels offer significant opportunities to improve safety [02:56.60]and provide better efficiency outcomes to the marine supply chain." [03:04.28]He added that self-sailing ships could become a reality within the next decade. [03:12.98]Rolls-Royce, the British automobile and engine manufacturer, [03:19.72]is also developing unmanned shipping technologies. [03:25.92]Oskar Levander is the company's head of marine operations. [03:31.68]He told a conference last year, "This is happening. It's not if, it's when." [03:41.44]Levander said these autonomous ships [03:44.92]could be controlled by remote operators from anywhere. [03:50.48]He added that because these ships will be designed to be unmanned, [03:55.92]they can be built smaller, more efficient and environmentally friendly. [04:02.88]In Japan, several shipping companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars [04:10.56]to develop self-sailing ships expected to hit the high seas by 2025. [04:19.68]These ships will be equipped with technology to collect weather and sea data. [04:26.48]They will then use the data to plan out the safest, [04:30.64]shortest and most fuel-efficient route. [04:35.51]Autonomous ships have also been developed for military use. [04:42.28]Last year, the U.S. Navy introduced a warship [04:46.16]that can direct itself and be used to hunt enemy submarines. [04:52.00]The 40-meter-long vessel is called Sea Hunter. [04:58.32]It is powered by two diesel engines and does not carry weapons. [05:04.13]Sea Hunter can sail for two to three months without a crew. [05:09.70]It can operate at a cost of between $15,000 and $20,000 per day, [05:18.24]far less than the amount required to run manned ships. [05:23.85]I'm Bryan Lynn. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM