Autonomous shipping: Unmanned trimaran makes the leap across the Atlantic

While the historic "Mayflower" with the Pilgrim Fathers on board managed to reach the North American east coast on its first attempt a good 400 years ago, the fully autonomous e-trimaran of the same name has now made it on its third attempt.

Last summer, it was en route from the UK to the USA. After a few days, however, the self-propelled ship belonging to the marine research organisation ProMare had to turn back - due to "mechanical problems". The "Mayflower" set sail again on 27 April. Her route was to follow the historical model, i.e. the galleon that sailed to America with the Pilgrim Fathers in 1620.

However, after around ten days there were problems with the generator, so the ship had to call at the port of Horta in the Azores. A repair team was flown in to rectify the damage as quickly as possible. On 20 May, the "Mayflower" was able to set sail again, heading for the US East Coast. A good week later, there were problems again, this time with charging the starter battery. As a precaution, the tri was diverted to the closer port of Halifax, Canada, which it finally reached safely on 5 June.

The original intention was a yacht over 30 metres long, developed by Shuttleworth Design. This trimaran would have had two masts and a rig with 159 square metres of canvas; it would have been capable of speeds of around 20 knots. In optimal wind conditions, the tri was supposed to be able to cross the Atlantic in just seven to ten days. After that, however, the rig was first reduced to one mast, which was then also dropped.

The current solar-powered and unmanned "Mayflower" from ProMare still measures 15 metres. It runs exclusively on electric motors and can reach a maximum speed of ten knots.