Kazansky Heavy Industries Sancho-class Drone Container Ship
In the global shipping industry, the single largest cost for cargo ships and their operations is the crew. While fuel costs comprise as little as $200-$300 Universal Standard Dollars per ton of shipping fuel (due to the use of low-grade shipping fuel, typically left over as waste from the production of diesel or gasoline), or even cheaper in the case of ships using mazut, crew salary costs can easily run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. The issue becomes more significant when one considers the necessity for onboard crew facilities (taking up precious space and weight), as well as the costs for life support, food storage, and various non-salary benefits for crew members. For a container ship, crew wages alone can run up to 50% or even 60% of the ship’s cost!
There are also knock-on effects - insurance costs, increased air pollution (due to the need to maintain crew life support facilities, refrigerate the crew’s food, etc.), and, in the case of pirate attacks, sometimes the need to pay ransom.
For this reason, Kazansky Heavy Industries has introduced a new cargo ship class. The Sancho-class drone ship is, essentially, an ultra-large container ship capable of both autonomous and remote-controlled operation, from command centers within your nation. This is achieved by utilization of a range of sensors mounted around the ship, both the regular radar and cameras already in place on existing ship for safety reasons, as well as short-range radar to be able to avoid suddenly appearing obstacles, and LIDAR and SONAR to be able to cross-check their results.
The Sancho-class can be controlled - based on what the laws in your country and the countries it will be going to are - either using a pilot placed in a company office back home, or move on autopilot entirely throughout the majority of its journey. When approaching a harbor, control can be handed over to local traffic control, which improves safety significantly over existing vessels. Using current technology, a single individual can pilot up to 10 of the Sancho-class vessels remotely in open seas, resulting in enormous savings.
In addition, the ships are equipped with a satellite based crash avoidance system, similar to that used in automated cars. When an unexpected obstacle (such as a yacht or a sports vessel) appears suddenly in the path of the Sancho-class, it will recalculate its course to navigate around the obstacle wherever possible, or attempt to stop the ship.
There are also knock-on effects - insurance costs, increased air pollution (due to the need to maintain crew life support facilities, refrigerate the crew’s food, etc.), and, in the case of pirate attacks, sometimes the need to pay ransom.
For this reason, Kazansky Heavy Industries has introduced a new cargo ship class. The Sancho-class drone ship is, essentially, an ultra-large container ship capable of both autonomous and remote-controlled operation, from command centers within your nation. This is achieved by utilization of a range of sensors mounted around the ship, both the regular radar and cameras already in place on existing ship for safety reasons, as well as short-range radar to be able to avoid suddenly appearing obstacles, and LIDAR and SONAR to be able to cross-check their results.
The Sancho-class can be controlled - based on what the laws in your country and the countries it will be going to are - either using a pilot placed in a company office back home, or move on autopilot entirely throughout the majority of its journey. When approaching a harbor, control can be handed over to local traffic control, which improves safety significantly over existing vessels. Using current technology, a single individual can pilot up to 10 of the Sancho-class vessels remotely in open seas, resulting in enormous savings.
In addition, the ships are equipped with a satellite based crash avoidance system, similar to that used in automated cars. When an unexpected obstacle (such as a yacht or a sports vessel) appears suddenly in the path of the Sancho-class, it will recalculate its course to navigate around the obstacle wherever possible, or attempt to stop the ship.
Functioning of the crash avoidance software and control systems.
In case that a vessel or foreign control agency attempts to communicate with the Sancho, all calls and hails are forwarded, to enable the Sancho’s remote pilot, or another individual responsible, to ‘pick up’. They can even be forwarded to the ship owner’s phone!
Safety measures have been taken to ensure fireproofing on the Sancho, including but not limited to automatic fire detection and suppression systems, and an array of simple fire-fighting UGVs present on deck. Maintenance on the engines is also done by using remote-control systems, primarily the use of UGVs equipped with telemanipulators, and fixed telemanipulator systems. Their most extensive use is to replace broken shipboard parts identified either by automated diagnostics, or by a camera setup, which comprises the majority of shipboard maintenance. To improve reliability, and ease maintenance througho the use of drones and telemanipulators, the ship utilizes a free-piston engine, channeling its immense power through an electric transmission. This allows greater redundance in the shipboard systems and improves ease of maintenance. Finally, for some special circumstances, very basic room and board (four rooms with four beds each) exists on deck for a security staff of sixteen.
For nations that need to comply with the mandates of World Assembly Resolution #120, the ship is fitted with two weapons lockers (if any personnel are aboard to use them), and four short-range targeting radars, capable of detecting approaching small vessels within 6 km of the ship. Anti-Piracy Water Cannon are placed throughout the ship, to engage approaching intruders with less-lethal streams of pressurized water, as well as four Remote Weapons Systems turrets that can be fitted with less-lethal or lethal weaponry, in accordance to the laws the customer needs to comply with.
Piracy is also confronted by the very fact that the ship does not have onboard crew that can be taken hostage (making the pirates’ jobs much harder, and enabling counterpiracy forces to recover the ship without bothering with bystanders, as there are not any). Finally, the absence of easily-accessible manual controls makes it harder for pirates to steer the ship away.
For cost-management purposes, Kazansky Heavy Industries manufactures the majority of the hulls in Imeriata, and orders the majority of the electronic involved in the Serene Republic of the High Treefolk. The preferential tax environment in the latter nation also allows us to cheaper contract for quality parts.
KAZANSKY HEAVY INDUSTRIES OFFERS SPECIAL DISCOUNTS FOR CHARITY ORGANIZATIONS AND RELIEF AGENCIES. ACQUIRE WITHIN FOR DETAILS.
Safety measures have been taken to ensure fireproofing on the Sancho, including but not limited to automatic fire detection and suppression systems, and an array of simple fire-fighting UGVs present on deck. Maintenance on the engines is also done by using remote-control systems, primarily the use of UGVs equipped with telemanipulators, and fixed telemanipulator systems. Their most extensive use is to replace broken shipboard parts identified either by automated diagnostics, or by a camera setup, which comprises the majority of shipboard maintenance. To improve reliability, and ease maintenance througho the use of drones and telemanipulators, the ship utilizes a free-piston engine, channeling its immense power through an electric transmission. This allows greater redundance in the shipboard systems and improves ease of maintenance. Finally, for some special circumstances, very basic room and board (four rooms with four beds each) exists on deck for a security staff of sixteen.
For nations that need to comply with the mandates of World Assembly Resolution #120, the ship is fitted with two weapons lockers (if any personnel are aboard to use them), and four short-range targeting radars, capable of detecting approaching small vessels within 6 km of the ship. Anti-Piracy Water Cannon are placed throughout the ship, to engage approaching intruders with less-lethal streams of pressurized water, as well as four Remote Weapons Systems turrets that can be fitted with less-lethal or lethal weaponry, in accordance to the laws the customer needs to comply with.
Piracy is also confronted by the very fact that the ship does not have onboard crew that can be taken hostage (making the pirates’ jobs much harder, and enabling counterpiracy forces to recover the ship without bothering with bystanders, as there are not any). Finally, the absence of easily-accessible manual controls makes it harder for pirates to steer the ship away.
For cost-management purposes, Kazansky Heavy Industries manufactures the majority of the hulls in Imeriata, and orders the majority of the electronic involved in the Serene Republic of the High Treefolk. The preferential tax environment in the latter nation also allows us to cheaper contract for quality parts.
KAZANSKY HEAVY INDUSTRIES OFFERS SPECIAL DISCOUNTS FOR CHARITY ORGANIZATIONS AND RELIEF AGENCIES. ACQUIRE WITHIN FOR DETAILS.
Capacity: 20,000 TEU
Sensors: Maritime navigation radar, LIDAR, SONAR, camera arrays, short-range radar, fire control radar (see writeup), satellite positioning systems (using the satellite systems of your choice).
Length 400 m
Draft: 16.5 m
Cruise speed: 22 knots
Max speed: 24 knots
Cost: $650 mn, includes set up of control facilities at your headquarters.
DPR: $650 bn.
Users:
Kazansky Heavy Industries, Allanea
Dillard Industrial Logistics, Allanea
The ship can be ordered either through the Allanean Exporters Association or Allanean Defense Exports, depending if you're ordering it for your military or for civilian use.
OOC credit: I wish to thank the player behind Spizania, for helping fact-check the design in terms of his engineering knowledge, and the player of Pantocratoria for aiding with some of the computer and economic aspects.