Zhuhai Port Shipping, the shipowning unit of Zhuhai Port, has signed a strategic agrerment with Zhuhai-based startup company Cloudrift to jointly work on the development of unmanned ships.
The two companies will work on a trial project to develop autonomous shipping on Zhuhai Port Shipping’s feeder route on the Xi River.
Cloudrift is an affiliate company of Zhuhai Yunzhou Intelligence Technology, which is in the middle of developing China’s first unmanned cargo ship Cloudborne.
Zhuhai Port Shipping currently operates a fleet of over 30 ships. In May, Zhuhai Port announced a plan to raise around RMB1bn ($145m) for fleet expansion.
Zhuhai is currently developing China’s first test ground for autonomous ships. The Wanshan Marine Test Field, which will cover a total area of 771.6 sq km, will become the largest autonomous ship test ground in the world.
