Autonomous ships – What does the future hold?

Autonomous and unmanned vessels are already in use in the defence industry for mine clearance and targets; in the oil and gas industry for subsea positioning, surveying and environmental monitoring; and in oceanographic data collection. While these vessels are still on a small scale, the technology can be easily scaled up to SOLAS size. The paper will look at the issues involved with increasing autonomy in shipping with an introduction to the...