The potential of 5G in commercial shipping

Authors

  • Nitin Agarwala National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi, 110010, India
  • Surya Sameer Kumar Guduru National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi, 110010, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2021.248995

Keywords:

5G, Automation, Autonomous ships, SMART connectivity, Unmanned vessels, COVID-19

Abstract

The buzz about 5G technology has been going on for a few years now. The technology, even before its inception, has had its fair share of controversy, with concerns over its influence on the environment and national security. Recently, some conspiracy theories branded 5G as the primary cause of COVID-19. As the technology develops, one realizes that 5G has many positives and enormous potential in the field of mobile communication. To tap this potential, 5G is being simultaneously developed by many companies globally. Unlike earlier generations of mobile communication, 5G offers numerous benefits when adopted in the maritime domain. Hence, technologically advanced nations are experimenting with the use of 5G in shipping, ports, and shipbuilding. While the understanding of the 5G technology is still at the nascent stage for most of us, this article aims to discuss the potential of 5G in commercial shipping by discussing the pros and cons associated with this technology. The article overall aims to provide a start point for future work and studies on the use of this technology in the maritime industry, and by no means is considered a ‘one-stop’ solution to the problems of commercial shipping.

References

Agarwala, N. (2020). Technology imperatives for emission reduction to address decarbonising in shipping. Institute of Marine Engineers, India.

Agarwala, N. (2021). Role of policy framework in disruptive technologies in the maritime domain. Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs. doi:10.1080/18366503.2021.1904602

Buckholm, M. K. (2019). Super radio develops technology that lets boats “talk to each other”: Builds 5G for the world’s first autonomous container ship. Smart Innovation Norway. Retrieved from https://en.smartinnovationnorway.com/news/develops-5g-technology-allows-boats-talk

CB Insights. (2018). Massive cargo ships are going autonomous. Here are the companies & trends driving the global maritime industry forward. CB Insights. Retrieved from https://www.cbinsights.com/research/autonomous-shipping-trends

CMA CGM. (2019). 5G: CMA CGM at the forefront of the new shipping revolution. CMA CGM. Retrieved from https://www.cmacgm-group.com/en/news-medias/5G-CMA-CGM-at-the-Forefront-of-the-New-Shipping-Revolution

DNV-GL. (2019). Digital twins and sensor monitoring. DNV GL. Retrieved from https://www.dnvgl.com/expert-story/maritime-impact/Digital-twins-and-sensor-monitoring.html

Gibson, R. (2017). Wireless maritime services’ CEO Pramod Arora dispels some myths about communication services at sea. International Cruise & Ferry Review. Retrieved from https://www.cruiseandferry.net/articles/wireless-maritime-services-on-the-waves-of-maritime-communication

GMTT (Global Maritime Technology Trends) 2030. (2015). Lloyd’s Register Group Limited (LR), QinetiQ, University of Southampton. Retrieved from https://www.lr.org/en/insights/global-marine-trends-2030/global-marine-technology-trends-2030

Hannemann, W. (2019). How IOT can be used in the maritime industry. Dualog. Retrieved from https://www.dualog.com/blog/how-iot-can-be-used-in-the-maritime-industry#:~:text=IoT%20enables%20ship%20owners%20and,it%20also%20improves%20crew%20safety

Harley, C. K. (1988). Ocean freight rates and productivity, 1740-1913: The primacy of mechanical invention reaffirmed. Journal of Economic History, 48(4), 851-876.

HelpNetSecurity. (2019). Port cybersecurity: Safeguarding operations against cyberattacks. Help Net Security. Retrieved from https://www.helpnetsecurity.com/2019/11/27/port-cybersecurity

Hurst, N. (2017). What will the Autonomous ship of the future look like? Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/what-will-autonomous-ship-future-look-180962236

IHS Markit. (2020). The key causes of ship total losses. IHS Markit. Retrieved from https://ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/the-key-causes-of-ship-total-losses.html

IMO. (2019). BWM convention and guidelines. International Maritime Organization. Retrieved from http://www.imo.org/en/OurWork/Environment/BallastWaterManagement/Pages/ BWMConventionandGuidelines.aspx

International Maritime Satellite Organization. (2020). Who we are? INMARSAT. Retrieved from https://www.inmarsat.com/about-us/who-we-are

Kawadkar, V. (2019). 5G might be 20 times faster than 4G: Is it 20 times safer too? Gizbot. Retrieved from https://www.gizbot.com/internet/features/5g-drawbacks-challenges-you-should-know-before-its-deployment-061135.html

Lovland, J. (2007). A history of steam power. Retrieved from http://folk.ntnu.no/haugwarb/TKP4175/History/history_of_steam_power.pdf

Lund, N. E. (2019). Growing in a niche market. International Cruise & Ferry Review. Retrieved from http://digital.tudor-rose.co.uk/icfr/2019/issue54/152

Manners, D. (2019). 5G-based systems for autonomous ships. Electronics Weekly. Retrieved from https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/5g-based-system-autonomous-ships-2019-12

Markopoulos, E., & Luimula, M. (2020). Immersive safe oceans technology: Developing virtual onboard training episodes for maritime safety. Future Internet, 12(5), 80. doi:10.3390/fi12050080

Mobil Satellite Technologies. (2019). What is VSAT? Mobilsat. Retrieved from https://www.mobilsat.com/VSAT

Norli, J. E. (2019). Why onboard digitising is the new money-maker. International Cruise & Ferry Review. Retrieved from http://digital.tudor-rose.co.uk/icfr/2019/issue54/160

North, D. (1958). Ocean freight rates and economic development 1750-1913. Journal of Economic History, 18, 537-555.

Notwell, L. (2017). 5G - Connection density: Massive IoT and so much more. CIO, IDG Media Private Limited. Retrieved from https://www.cio.com/article/3235971/5g-connection-density-massive-iot-and-so-much-more.html

Onag, G. (2019). Maritime 5G will hasten IoT adoption in shipping industry. FutureIoT. Retrieved from https://futureiot.tech/maritime-5g-will-hasten-iot-adoption-in-shipping-industry

Orange. (2019). Broadband at sea will (soon) be possible thanks to 5G. Orange.com. Retrieved from https://hellofuture.orange.com/en/broadband-at-sea-will-soon-be-possible-thanks-to-5g

Paul, D. (2020). A history of electric ship propulsion systems. IEEE Industry Applications Magazine, 26(6), 9-19. doi:10.1109/MIAS.2020.3014837

Pyzyk, K. (2020). Next generation of wireless technology: 5G hold promise. TTnews. Retrieved from https://www.ttnews.com/articles/next-generation-wireless-technology-5g-holds-promise

Qualcomm. (2016). Making 5G NR a reality: Leading the technology inventions for a unified, more capable 5G air interface. Retrieved from https://www.qualcomm.com/media/documents/ files/whitepaper-making-5g-nr-a-reality.pdf

Remella, D. (2019). Three ways 5G will benefit the logistics industry. Inbound Logistics. Retrieved from https://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/three-ways-5g-will-benefit-the-logistics-industry

Riviera. (2019). IMO prepares for autonomous ship regulations amendments. Rivieramm.com. Retrieved from https://www.rivieramm.com/opinion/opinion/imo-prepares-for-autonomous-ship-regulation-amendments-22249

Safety4Sea. (2019). The digital twin concept explained. Safety4Sea.com. Retrieved from https://safety4sea.com/cm-the-digital-twin-concept-explained

Safety4Sea. (2019a). The impact of ship autonomy on IMO conventions. Safety4Sea.com. Retrieved from https://safety4sea.com/the-impact-of-ship-autonomy-on-imo-conventions

Safety4Sea. (2019b). 5G satellites to improve the shipping industry. Safety4Sea.com. Retrieved from https://safety4sea.com/5g-satellites-to-improve-the-shipping-industry

Shaw, K., & Fruhlinger, J. (2019). What is a digital twin and why it's important to IoT. Network World. Retrieved from https://www.networkworld.com/article/3280225/what-is-digital-twin-technology-and-why-it-matters.html#:~:text=Digital%20twins%20are%20virtual%20replicas,AI%20and%20analytics%20are%20optimized

Ship Technology. (2017). Digital twins in shipping: The open-source approach. Ship Technology. Retrieved from https://www.ship-technology.com/features/digital-twins-shipping-open-source-approach

Skjong, E., Rødskar, E., Molinas, M., Johansen, T. A., & Cunningham, J. (2015). The marine vessel’s electrical power system: From its birth to present day. Proceedings of the IEEE, 103(12), 2410-2424. doi:10.1109/JPROC.2015.2496722

Spirent. (2019). Simplifying 5G with the network digital twin. Retrieved from https://www.spirent.com/-/media/white-papers/mobile/wp-simplifying-5g-with-the-network-digital-twin.pdf?la=en&hash=2B535FAB899CDBE6BF8A724CA73A4D29ADF7AFF3

Tam, K., & Jones, K. (2018). Cyber-risk assessment for autonomous ships (pp. 1-8). In Proceedings of the International Conference on Cyber Security and Protection of Digital Services. May 2018. doi:10.1109/CyberSecPODS.2018.8560690

Telecom 26. (2019). What will 5g mean for maritime communications? Telecom26. Retrieved from https://www.telecom26.ch/our-blog/what-will-5g-mean-for-maritime-communications

The Maritime Executive. (2019). 5G innovators target port logistics. The Maritime Executive. Retrieved from https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/5g-innovators-target-port-logistics

UNCTAD. (2018). Review of marine transport 2018. UNCTAD/RMT/2018. Retrieved from https://unctad.org/webflyer/review-maritime-transport-2018

Vallis, D. (2020). The right hardware for 5G. Embedded Computing. Retrieved from https://www.embedded-computing.com/guest-blogs/the-right-hardware-for-5g

Wheeler, A. (2020). Will 5G change logistics and ports? Splash 247. Retrieved from https://splash247.com/will-5g-change-logistics-and-ports

Wheeler, T., & Simpson, D. (2019). Report: Why 5G requires new approaches to cybersecurity: Racing to protect the most important network of the 21st century. The Brookings Institution. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/research/why-5g-requires-new-approaches-to-cybersecurity

Downloads

Published

2021-04-07

How to Cite

Agarwala, N. ., & Guduru, S. S. K. . (2021). The potential of 5G in commercial shipping. Maritime Technology and Research, 3(3), 254–267. https://doi.org/10.33175/mtr.2021.248995