World's first self-driving urban ferry goes into operation

Sweden's self-driving electric ferry MF Estelle began running on June 8, making Stockholm the first city in the world to use the technology.

From June 12, the ferry will carry passengers on short routes, a few hundred metres, between Stockholm islands, according to AFP . A captain will supervise the MF Estelle but will not need to touch the controls on the ferry.

The goal is to eventually make the MF Estelle “fully autonomous” without a human overseer on board, according to Stein Andre Herigstad-Olsen, CEO of Norwegian shipping company Torghatten. The system is now able to “watch like a captain,” Herigstad-Olsen said.

The MF Estelle is equipped with radar, cameras, sonar and lidar systems, which can combine data to steer its course, according to Erik Nilsson, operations director at Torghatten. “If a boat changes direction or a canoe appears, we see it in less than a second. We update the course accordingly,” he added.

The MF Estelle is 10 meters long, cost $1.6 million and can carry 30 passengers, with tickets costing around $3. The ferry is expected to encourage Swedes to walk or cycle to work instead of driving. It also demonstrates autonomous technology, paving the way for sustainable and efficient maritime transport in the future.

Torghatten wants to increase the number of ferries in Stockholm and other areas. The ferry is a public-private partnership, partly funded by the EU.

Thu Thao (According to AFP )

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