ABSTRACT
Within the maritime domain, there is a focus on applying new technologies to reduce costs, and, more recently, on environmental sustainability for seaborne transport. The use of highly automated and unmanned ships is one such approach. However, the maritime safety level should not be reduced with the introduction of unmanned remote ship operations enabled by novel technology. This chapter exemplifies the Safety by Design approach – showing how human factors, iterative testing, and stakeholder collaboration can ensure that automation enhances, rather than undermines, maritime safety.
Several companies, such as Massterly, Reach, and Ocean Infinity, envision unmanned vessels and have taken initiatives to operate them with an unmanned bridge. Although the technology for unmanned ships is similar to that for unmanned cars and aeroplanes, there are differences. International commercial seaborne transportation must comply with the rules of the IMO, SOLAS, and MARPOL.
A sustainable solution needs to be economically viable, socially acceptable, and environmentally friendly. Remote piloting by a human in an ROC (Remote Operations Centre) is unlikely to help achieve the target cost reduction from unmanned ships. The solution needs to enable at least partially autonomous voyages, where a ship does not require constant human supervision. This operational condition requires new technology and the understanding of human situational awareness, task efficiency, trust, and risk management. To be sustainable and successful, the ROC needs to support an economically viable operation, where the economic benefits exceed the financial cost compared to traditional operation; meet environmental requirements; and be socially acceptable for the operator and society.
