Ferries are part of an ever-changing, constantly-evolving market; see this article to find out much more
If you were to take a look at the ferry history timeline, you will see that the principle of ferryboats dates back to the oldest civilizations, where tiny wooden boats would be moved across bodies of water by oars or poles. Certainly, this is a far cry from the ferries that we utilize today, as the Stena Line CEO would certainly confirm. Thanks to both the industrial revolution and the increase of modern-day technology, ferries in 2024 have come a long way from their predecessors. As a matter of fact, among the most recent and most amazing advancements in the ferry industry is the raised level of automation. While unmanned navigating is not practical for big ships with thousands of travelers, a great deal of smaller ferryboat vessels are being trialled for automation procedures. Essentially, this involves complicated and progressed technical tools to carry-out procedures like situational awareness, smart navigating and enhanced optimisation, without much human interference. These vessels will have advanced software, sensors, radars and high-definition infrared cameras set up in order to travel throughout ferry transport routes automatically and remotely. Instead of manually driving the vessel and operating all the buttons, the ferryboat team and captain will take even more of a backseat approach, where they will only take action if the ferry system alerts them to a problem.
As any type of ferry industry overview would disclose, innovation has not only transformed the ferryboats itself, however it has also revolutionised the overall customer experience. For instance, the introduction of ingenious automatic technologies, like the on-line booking system, the dynamic pricing, self-service systems, and mobile applications for the ferry check-in process, has made the ferry traveling process a lot more hassle-free, reliable and pleasurable for consumers, as the Brittany Ferries CEO would certainly confirm.
It's safe to say that several of the largest ferry operators in the world are set to take advantage of a variety of brand-new energy saving and environmental technologies, as the P&O CEO would validate. It is no secret that the worldwide maritime industry, which incorporates ferry operators, have contributed to climate change and sea pollution. Therefore, a lot of research and investment is going into the development of 'greener' alternatives in the ferryboat travel industry. This has resulted in the creation of new types of ferry ships that are battery-powered, implying that they do not release any kind of carbon emissions into the atmosphere. As battery technology develops even more in the future, electric battery-operated ferries will certainly become the norm, which will lead to the creation of various other structures like transforming stations and charging towers. Not only is this even more sustainable and energy-efficient, but it is ideally also going to make operations much more streamlined and reliable in the long-run. With technologies such as these already paving the way in the sector, the future of ferry transportation is looking exciting.