Weird Technology

The Wall Street Journal has an article about moves in the direction of crewless cargo vessels plying the world's oceans.

Ship designers, their operators and regulators are gearing up for a future in which cargo vessels sail the oceans with minimal or even no crew. Advances in automation and ample bandwidth even far offshore could herald the biggest change in shipping since diesel engines replaced steam. Ship operators believe more automation will enable them to optimize ship use, including cutting fuel consumption.

A future unmanned ship could resemble some of the most advanced combat drones. It would sport infrared detectors, high-resolution cameras and laser sensors to monitor its surroundings. The vast troves of data would be transmitted to command centers where staff do little more than monitor progress and ensure ships are operating at optimum speeds.

I wonder about electronic hijackers who would hack a drone ship's communications and divert it to an unknown destination or run it aground or even sink it. What one group can invent, another can hack, either for profit or for malicious mischief.