Finland Times

The two partners will utilize their expertise to design, test, validate and commercialize the first generation remote controlled and autonomous ships, said VTT in a press release.

"VTT is a reliable and innovative partner for the development of a smart ship concept," said Karno Tenovuo, vice president of Ship Intelligence at Rolls-Royce.

The British company is a pioneer in the development of smart ships. It started to develop the unmanned boat technology in 2013.

According to VTT, Rolls-Royce said such a smart ship could be commercially available by 2020.