Networking, digitalization and automation as prerequisites
The “Masterplan Binnenschifffahrt” addresses the networking of ports, the digitalization of locks and vessels as well as the automation of transshipment sites. Yet it will likely take decades before fully autonomous vessels operate on the Rhine, Elbe or Danube.
Automation levels in inland shipping
“I assume that it may well take until 2050 before commercial inland shipping reaches Level 5,” predicts Frédéric Kracht. He is referring to the level model defined by the Central Commission for the Navigation of the Rhine (ZKR), which is based on the classification according to the SAE J3016 standard. This standard defines the degree of autonomy of road vehicles with automated driving systems.
Assistance systems that take over either steering, such as maintaining a predefined navigation line, or propulsion correspond to automation level 1. Systems that jointly automate steering and propulsion correspond to automation level 2. Both are already used in inland shipping. The vessel operator must still continuously monitor the navigation environment and be able to intervene immediately at any time.
Technologies with automation level 3 are currently under development. Under certain operating conditions, these vessels navigate fully independently and do not need to be actively monitored at all times.
ELLA and NOVA as research systems
One example of this development is the uncrewed research catamaran operated by DST and the University of Duisburg-Essen. While Frédéric Kracht and his team presented ELLA on land at XPONENTIAL Europe 2025, its successor NOVA was operating on the Rhine one year later, at times teleoperated from the exhibition hall.
During the Live Demonstrations program at XPONENTIAL Europe 2026, visitors were able to follow the trip not only via livestream at the DST booth. They could also board as passengers and travel part of the route.
A “drone regulation” for waterways is still missing
There are still fundamental questions to clarify not only in technology, but also in regulation. Unlike uncrewed aviation, automated inland shipping does not yet have its own dedicated rulebook.
“We make do with exemptions,” explains Frédéric Kracht. These are especially important for accelerating the necessary development work. “If we cannot test enough, we do not have enough data to drive innovation and generate the necessary market acceptance.”
Use cases in ports, canals and infrastructure
The use of uncrewed systems in ports and canals is no longer a vague future vision. When it comes to surveying tasks, data collection or the protection of critical infrastructure, the first Uncrewed Surface Vessels (USVs) and Uncrewed Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) are already in use on and below the water surface.
Precisely surveying fairways during low water
“Smaller USVs will be fully established and regularly used within just a few years,” predicts Frédéric Kracht. One example is the precise and up-to-date determination of the depth and condition of the fairway during low water. “Here, the risks are manageable and the economic benefit is obvious.”
The more precisely vessel loading can be adapted to current water levels, the more efficiently and economically sustainably transports can be planned. At the same time, potential downtime at production plants due to missing material supplies can be avoided.
Carrying out maintenance and structural inspections more regularly
Labor-intensive and therefore costly tasks in maintenance and structural inspection can also be carried out more regularly with uncrewed watercraft than is possible by conventional means.
The advantage is that smaller damage can be detected in time before it develops into substantial problems that, in the worst case, require complete demolition measures.
Broad dialogue: Not tomorrow, but today
A great deal of water will likely flow down the Rhine, Elbe and Danube before freight transport with small uncrewed units can become economically viable. This is due not only to unresolved technical and regulatory questions, but also to the structure of a tradition-conscious industry.
Long development and depreciation cycles require foresight when it comes to planning and financing horizons. That makes it all the more important to initiate public funding instruments now and plan future budgets for start-up financing.
A broad dialogue among all stakeholders is also needed. One forum for this is the Autonomous Inland & Short Sea Shipping Conference (AISS), which will again be part of the official XPONENTIAL Europe 2027 program.
This article was created in cooperation with Drones, the trade magazine with Insights for the Uncrewed Future. www.drones-magazine.com
