These self-sailing ships will soon be taking on the seas.
Earlier last week, shipping conglomerate Wilhelmsen Group announced that it is launching Massterly, an autonomous-shipping joint venture with technology firm Kongsberg.
“Norway has taken a position at the forefront in developing autonomous ships,” said Thomas Wilhelmsen, Wilhelmsen group CEO. “[Through] Massterly, we take the next step on this journey by establishing infrastructure and services to design and operate vessels, as well as advanced logistics solutions associated with maritime autonomous operations. Massterly will reduce costs at all levels.”
Traditional maritime workers will be in lower demand for the manning of such a vessel, however routine maintenance will still be a continued concern. In which case, dock workers will still be required. From time to time, such people can become injured in freak accidents and will, therefore, benefit from understanding maritime workers compensation so they can protect themselves legally speaking and ensure that they are financially secure during their recovery period.
If you are injured at your workplace, seek out competent legal assistance of a skilled attorney as rapidly as possible. Your employers will fight the case and might try to prove you wrong by raising unethical evidences against you. It is important to hire an attorney who will defend your rights and achieve a successful conclusion of the case. To know more detail about the workers compensation attorney, browse this site.
If they refuse to pay you any compensation, you have the right to appeal in court. Many people fear to go into legal complications and try to deal with all the expenses with the help of their insurance companies. But, chances are there that your insurance company might also try to prove that it was you who was at fault to save their own pocket. The best way to overcome such hurdles is to seek the help of an experienced workers compensation lawyer.
Once you find a workers compensation lawyer that fits your needs, then comes the interview process where you get to ask quick lists of questions to the potential attorney to ensure he is the right lawyer for your case. These questions will help you learn about the lawyer and how he works, and will also help you begin to understand what needs to be done to get a claim heard. Ask questions about education: did the attorney study in your area, or somewhere else? What kind of experience or previous work has he done in the past? Has he handled these kinds of cases before, or are you his first? What were the outcomes of some of his cases – how many has he won? You want an attorney who is experienced and well-versed in all aspects of workers compensation, particularly one who has worked in your area and knows the lay of the legal land.
The joint venture will cover autonomous vessel construction, management and operation, using new land-based control centers in Norway. While the technology is still in the early stages of commercialization, Wilhelmsen cited the autonomous, all-electric container feeder Yara Birkeland as an example of autonomy’s promise. The 120 TEU, Kongsberg-designed feeder will run between three ports in southern Norway, all within about 30 nm of each other and all within the nation’s territorial seas. Delivery is expected in 2019, with fully autonomous operation by 2020.
“At first, short sea shipping will use autonomous ships. This also implies increased competitiveness to move transport from road to sea. The gains are increased efficiency and reduction of emissions,” said Thomas Wilhelmsen in a statement. “For Norway as a maritime nation, this will be an important contribution to reach the UN sustainable development goals.”
