In Sean’s Ships: Bringing the World Together, Sean and Robot are on a mission to sell custard creams across the world and with the help of the Captain, have been learning all about ships and world trade.

In this series of Sean’s Ships we’ve been learning all about international trade – that’s the way different countries exchange stuff.  A bit like the way you might trade things with friends in Minecraft.

Technology is really important to trade and is in every aspect of trade and shipping to make importing and exporting more efficient. This includes the special reefer shipping containers for food which maintain a constant temperature and humidity level. 

In the last episode we looked at how ports are packed with technology – from cranes lifting containers on and off the ships, tractors moving the containers around the port to where they need to be stored to computers that track each container and make sure they get to their final destination – and on time!

In this episode we’re looking at more technology which helps shipping.

Robotics in Shipping

Let’s look at a robot called SAFFiR. SAFFiR doesn’t talk, but it does do some other very impressive things. SAFFiR stands for Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot. It’s able to put out fires on ships, saving lives and cargo which unfortunately has happened from time to time.

A Hyperloop Transport System could also make shipping more efficient. It’s a concept from a man you might have heard of – Elon Musk. The idea is that it carries cargo from one destination to another via a tube at 700 mph – that’s 10 times faster as cars on the motorway! 

We might also see ‘ghost ships’ which can sail without a Captain.

These ships use sensors and GPS to tell them where they are in the world, and communicate with humans back at the ports who can tell it what to do if any things wrong… like if it’s going in the wrong direction. They don’t have to be at sea – they can be used on canals and rivers to transport things between towns and cities.  

Sean’s Ships – Bringing the World Together. With support from Lloyd’s Register Foundation.