Perhaps it's not about direct crew costs, but the additional security needed to keep an onboard crew safe[0]? Without humans aboard, hijacking may become far le

Perhaps it's not about direct crew costs, but the additional security needed to keep an onboard crew safe[0]? Without humans aboard, hijacking may become far less of a risk, since the ship doesn't need to be human-pilotable at all. With that resistance to hijacking, not to mention the fact that no crew lives would be at stake in a piracy event, the shippers may be able to pay less for insurance and security services. [0]: http://www.theigc.org/project/the-economic-costs-of-piracy/ http://www.theigc.org/project/the-economic-costs-of-piracy/