This sounds like something a company that had never been at sea in the open ocean would announce in order to capitalize on the faddishness of the word "drone".
The crew on freighters is already minimalist and isn't necessary to steer the ship in flat windless seas with no weather. They are there to clean it, keep the engine running, and deal with things that happen because of weather.
Saying you are going to get rid of the crew is like saying you are going to get rid of the guys who do robot maintenance and repair at a highly automated automobile plant.
From TFA: "While the idea of automated ships was first considered decades ago, Rolls-Royce started developing designs last year. Marine accounts for 16 percent of the company’s revenue, data compiled by Bloomberg show."
I believe they just make engines and other machinery. There's a difference between a company that makes a steering wheel and a company that employes a fleet of drivers to drive it's fleet of trucks.
"Just make engines" seems a little bit dismissive. Their marine division consists of a range of acquisitions which have spent the last 150+ years building pretty much every type of mechanic and electrical component on some of the most advanced ships of their time, as well as complete ship designs.
They may not employ a fleet of ship crew, but given that they keep winning large contracts, presumably companies that do have fleets of ships trust that they know how to handle ship-design and automation.
Someone who hops onto a thread in which someone has been dressed down for an utter failure to verify facts from an article with further utter lack of research isn't worth the time.
The crew on freighters is already minimalist and isn't necessary to steer the ship in flat windless seas with no weather. They are there to clean it, keep the engine running, and deal with things that happen because of weather.
Saying you are going to get rid of the crew is like saying you are going to get rid of the guys who do robot maintenance and repair at a highly automated automobile plant.