The Mayflower Autonomous Ship trip was cut short

By greenbookmark, 26 June, 2021

After setting sail from the Plymouth port in the U.K., this imposing ship with autonomous technology had to abort its mission and return to its starting point due to apparent mechanical failures.

To his rescue came a ship with specialists who were going to determine if it was possible to fix it to continue its path. But, unfortunately, this was not possible, and the engineers had to order the ship's return, which happened on June 24.

At all times, next to the Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS), there was a ship guarding the entire journey. The second ship served as a receiver of all the data in these days that remained at sea.

Initially, the Mayflower Autonomous Ship aimed to travel 5 thousand kilometres from port to port and on its way to collect data on the behaviour of whales, microplastics and the salinity of the sea.

The engineers behind this project pointed out that this is not a cancellation of the journey. On the contrary, they hope to resume the mission that this ship has in the coming months since it has all the technology that allows it to be one of the first ships to reach its destination without the direct intervention of a human. @via Mayflower Autonomous Ship.

The Mayflower Autonomous Ship (MAS) is a green enterprise led by marine research non-profit ProMare with support from IBM and a global consortium of associates. Working in tandem with oceanographers and other ships, MAS provides a flexible, cost-effective and safe alternative for gathering critical data about the ocean. It can spend long durations at sea, conducting scientific investigations and making its own choices about how to optimize its route and purpose.