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A Study of the Application Barriers to the Use of Autonomous Ships Posed by the Good Seamanship Requirement of COLREGs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 December 2019

Xiang-Yu Zhou Open the ORCID record for Xiang-Yu Zhou [Opens in a new window] ,
Jin-Jing Huang ,
Feng-Wu Wang ,
Zhao-Lin Wu  and
Zheng-Jiang Liu
Xiang-Yu Zhou*
Affiliation:
(Navigation College, Dalian Maritime University, China) (Centre for Maritime Studies, National University of Singapore)
Jin-Jing Huang
Affiliation:
(Centre for Maritime Studies, National University of Singapore)
Feng-Wu Wang
Affiliation:
(Navigation College, Dalian Maritime University, China)
Zhao-Lin Wu
Affiliation:
(Navigation College, Dalian Maritime University, China)
Zheng-Jiang Liu
Affiliation:
(Navigation College, Dalian Maritime University, China)
*
(E-mail: [email protected])
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Abstract

Autonomous ships are gaining in importance and are expected to shape the future of the global shipping industry. This evolutionary shift raises serious issues about compliance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGs). This paper reviews the literature on autonomous ships from the perspective of the obligations of good seamanship imposed by COLREGs. The authors conclude that to facilitate the introduction of autonomous ships, the application barriers presented by COLREGs need to be analysed. With this goal, this paper presents a perspective from navigational practice. Four nautical scientists and two deck officers were invited to give their opinions. The analysis indicates that COLREGs require further elaboration and amendments to eliminate uncertainty of interpretation. In particular, the paper highlights the need to amend the ‘look-out’ rule (COLREGs Rule 5) to permit look-out by ‘computer vision’ alone while, at the same time, preserving the distinction between vessels navigating in restricted visibility and in sight of one another.

Keywords

Autonomous ShipsCOLREGsNavigational PracticeGood Seamanship
Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Navigation , Volume 73 , Issue 3 , May 2020 , pp. 710 - 725
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal Institute of Navigation 2019

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