Remote Piloting in an Intelligent Fairway

Maritime piloting, the process of navigating ships safely in congested waters, is an area of maritime operations where emerging technologies may be used to develop and implement more robust navigation safety systems. This is supported by the commercial potential of remote piloting as a substitute for pilotage exemptions, today granted to experienced captains. This paper introduces a novel configuration for remote piloting operations in intelligent fairways. Results are supported by methodological and empirical research with the aim to enhance our understanding of merging the role of a pilot in autonomous fairway infrastructures. It is demonstrated that under controlled conditions remote piloting may be a safe option. However, upscaling will require greater understanding of risks associated with the implementation of emerging technologies, fairway features and environmental phenomena.Peer reviewe