Autonomous ships: Legal issues (draft)

Autonomous ships are on the brink of launching onto international voyages; make no mistake the technology is already in place, and the phenomenon will very shortly be a reality. The technology is radical, but that is nothing new in shipping, because maritime technology will always evolve, responding to meet the demand of delivering cost-benefit advantages in marine operations that remit a higher profit for the stakeholders. It is all a question of offering the cargo owner a more effective cost solution; if you dispense with shipboard crewing, the investment cost is reduced by dispensing with crew accommodation, crew resourcing is almost eliminated in an age in which the demands of training inevitably increase, while the pool of seafarers is reducing, and the demands of the Maritime Labour Convention must be met. The issue, is how the law is going to have to change, because, right now, it is that which stands as the barrier to the international operation of autonomous ships. We therefore need to analyse carefully the issues in law which must be resolved before a body of international law can be constructed to provide solutions