Autonomous ships : evolution or revolution

Abstract

Autonomous vehicles are slowly becoming a common sight in the transportation sector. The same goes for the maritime industry with the gradual interest of autonomous ships. The main benefit that can be expected out of autonomous ships is the increase in security, safety and environmental protection as well as addressing the lack in seafarer supply. However, the current regulatory frameworks available pose potential challenges. Therefore, this project report was started to find out the value autonomous ships provide from a regulatory perspective and the feasibility and level of readiness of the industry in adopting unmanned vessels. Lastly, to assess the driving and restricting forces that determine the successful implementation of autonomous ships. The study was conducted based on primary sources and secondary resources. Primary resources being the survey and in-depth interviews distributed and conducted respectively with maritime professionals and stakeholders who are still actively contributing to the industry. The secondary resources were gathered from online resources that include but are not limited to writings, articles, research studies and official sites run by the relevant authorities. From the analysis conducted, it was highlighted that autonomous ships do indeed provide potential solutions to the challenges encountered that are governed by existing conventions. However, there are also various factors like a lack of concrete regulations to govern autonomous ships which left an impact on liability and insurance issues. Furthermore, because of the nature of autonomous ships which involve the use of various technologies, it is susceptible to new challenges essentially cyber threats which can lead to disruptive consequences to a business. The exponential rate of change of technology also pose a challenge from a regulatory perspective. All these factors ultimately reduce the industry’s confidence in autonomous ships resulting in a strong resistance in adoption. Shipping is slowly evolving together with other sectors as industries transition into industry 4.0. While conventional shipping practices evolve, regulations being an essential part of shipping must evolve together with the trends. As autonomous ships are still in the beginning stages of evolution, it will potentially take a decade or more before autonomous ships are successfully implemented in the evolution of the shipping industry.