• Rolls-Royce PLC has announced that it is already designing completely unmanned cargo ships. • The company claims that drone ships would be safer, cheaper and less polluting than traditional cargo ships. • “Now the technology is at the level where we can make this happen, and society is moving in this direction – If we want to do this, now is the time to move” – Oskar Lavander, RR VP of Innovation and marine engineering. • Unmanned ships are expected to be 5% lighter and burn 15% less fuel than traditional ships • EU is funding a $4.8 million study that involves simulated sea trials to assess the costs and benefits of unmanned cargo ships. What innovations could disrupt transportation & logistics industries? • 3D printing (3DP) is an additive manufacturing technology that allows the automated creation or printing of three dimensional objects. • At present 3DP is mostly used to create prototypes of mechanical objects. More recently 3DP has been used to produce spare parts and injection molds. It is estimated that this can reduce the cost of making some components by 70% • In the short term, 3DP is expected to have a significant impact on medical industry by allowing doctors to replicate prosthetics that are an exact match for human body parts (teeth, etc.) • Proponents of 3DP argue that in the long term, as the technology overcomes current limitations and becomes widespread, it will counter globalization by allowing end-users to make their own products and reducing the need to transport finished goods. • Goods produced using 3DP have an annual value of approximately $2 billion, but this figure is growing at 300% per year. Port 2050 Scenario Update Initiative - 2015 52