Inmarsat has signed up to research project to investigate how to build a platform to support autonomous vessels that can also be controlled from the ground manually when needed . If successful , an autonomous ship could remove the crew from long voyages , reducing operating costs and increasing the cargo capacity of the ship . It last month launched its third Global Link satellite , which will provide high speed satellite connection to cover ' blackspots ' around the world 's seas , meaning drone ships could be in constant contact with human operators in real time .
Inmarsat has signed up to research project to investigate how to build a system to support autonomous vessels that can also be controlled from the shore manually when needed. If successful, an autonomous ship could remove the crew from long voyages, cutting operating costs and increasing the cargo capacity of the ship. Inmarsat last month launched its third Global Xpres satellite, which will provide high speed broadband connection to cover 'blackspots' around the world's seas, meaning drone ships could be in constant contact with human operators in real time.