Overview of Autonomous Ships Classification: Fid-Bau Portal

Overview of Autonomous Ships Classification

Vakil, Sanjeev S.

Autonomous ships have become one of the hottest topics for discussion among the members of the maritime fraternity, in the context of more efficient, environmentally friendly, and safer sea transportation solutions. The time appears to be ripe for the introduction of commercially sensible as well as viable solutions for remote-controlled as also fully unmanned autonomous cargo and passenger ships. Safety of operations will be the most important criterion in the development of autonomous ships. The utilization of autonomous ship technology will have an impact on the safety of the ship, both positive and negative. The goal is to make the safety of an unmanned ship better than the safety of a manned ship, to justify its total autonomy. New regulations and standards will need to be developed including the revision of existing SOLAS, STCW, and other conventions. The future training requirements will also need to be developed by conducting an analysis of the gaps between the existing training methodology and the possible future needs. Based on such a study, an appropriate plan will need to be drawn up to upgrade the existing seafarers’ skills and impart appropriate skills to the new inductees to the profession. As of now, it is felt that, for some time to come, the human element will be essential onboard fully autonomous ships to take care of unforeseen eventualities. The shore-based control of a ship will have to consider the additional safety requirements to ensure the harmonious operation of manned and unmanned ships, particularly in the most congested traffic areas of the world. It is, therefore, felt that Maritime Education and Training will be the key to the success of autonomous shipping. This work is an attempt to address the training aspects of maritime professionals of the future in the context of autonomous shipping.