Autonomous vessels pose new challenges for shippers
Fully autonomous ‘drone ships’ will present new risks and potential rewards, according to Stephen Harris, senior vice president of Marsh Global Marine Practice. The benefits are huge, but the legal and regulatory implications of crewless vessels will be amongst the first hurdles in making them a reality, Harris said. Navigational risk, cybersecurity and loss of communication were considered the greatest challenges to drone ships, according to a SAFETY4SEA survey. The liability of programmers who design the software that runs ships would also need to be addressed.   

Crewless, fully autonomous ships have yet to navigate global waters but R&D is progressing on a number of fronts, while simultaneously the debate about legal implications is moving to the forefront, says Stephen Harris, Senior Vice President of Marsh Global Marine Practice, in a new article in Brink on the development of autonomous shipping.

Rising transport volumes, growing environmental concerns, an ever-present focus on cost reduction, a looming shortage of experienced and qualified seafarers, and the rapid technological evolution that now touches every industry, are all serving to drive interest, Harris said.

The Norwegian government has designated an area for testing autonomous technology in ships, while Rolls-Royce has announced plans to have a remotely controlled, local vessel operating by 2020, with a fully autonomous ship by 2035. The ship would be controlled by a captain in an onshore command centre, with some aspects of operation and navigation automated.

Harris said that, as with any advance in technology, legal and regulatory approvals would be among the first hurdles in making autonomous shipping a reality. For example, the peril “negligence of master, officers and crew” is a covered peril under British and American marine insurance hull clauses, provided that such negligence has not resulted from a lack of due diligence by the assured, owners or managers. However, Harris noted that this meant deciding whether a “captain” sitting at a desk in Copenhagen would be legally/officially considered part of a “crew” was likely to be viewed differently by various legal jurisdictions as they apply the law to insurance claims for physical loss or damage to the ship.

Other legal questions included what status should be assigned to the programmer who designed the computer system that runs the autonomous ship.

A survey conducted by SAFETY4SEA among maritime stakeholders assessed the challenges associated with the use of autonomous ships and found that navigational risk, cybersecurity and loss of communication were considered to be the greatest challenges facing the development of fully autonomous ships.

One of the key benefits of remotely controlled ships would be reductions in cost, said Harris. The ships would require fewer personnel and less fuel to complete journeys. If a vessel were fully autonomous, it would eliminate the need for crew facilities on board. This would lead to more space for cargo carriage, which would mean increased profitability for shipping companies using these vessels.

Harris also noted that, without navigation and engineering personnel on board, these ships might also increase human safety. The ship would be largely, if not entirely, controlled from a remote location, meaning the risk to human life from accidents or the loss of the ship would be reduced. The possibility for human error might be reduced if systems are more automated.

Harris said that Marsh predicted that technology such as this was unlikely to completely replace traditional cargo ships in the foreseeable future. Instead, the technology was likely to be used on short shuttle service journeys. “The uncertainty

regarding the safety of autonomous ships compared to traditional cargo ships will be tested over time. If legal issues can be overcome and the technology is found to be viable, the support of regulators, financial institutions, and customers will be essential to the deployment of these ships in everyday commercial activities”, Harris said. http://www.brinknews.com/drone-ships-will-bring-new-risks-and-rewards/?utm_source=BRINK+Subscribers&utm_campaign=dc2d4d0100-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_08_09&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c3639d7c98-dc2d4d0100-107919225