Editorial

Abstract

Autonomous Ships from the Editor's Perspective The number of computer-aided systems on boards is gradually increasing and the number of people on board is decreasing as a result of the technological development. For example, a cargo ship with a crew of 20-25 people can now safely operate with fewer people. While speaking about the technological development, it is appropriate to underline two concepts: big data and the internet of things (IoT). Big data is briefly defined as the emergence of reliable new information, depending on how much information having about anything. The IoT is defined as a network where objects can connect to each other or to larger systems. These two concepts take technological development to a different level and play a major role especially in the development of autonomous systems. We can say that autonomous and remotely controlled ship technology also emerged on the basis of these two concepts. The concept of autonomous ship includes fundamental technologies such as autonomous navigation, automatic berthing / unberthing, remotely-monitored engine, equipment and loading operations and automatic communication between ships. It covers a wide range from ships which are fully unmanned or can be remotely-controlled from land-based virtual bridges, and ships with systems that alert the operator to a possible pre-conflict or help optimize operations. Although the idea that ships could sail with computer support was originally based on the 1970s, research has gained momentum especially since the beginning of 2010s. The first unmanned surface vehicle project launched by South Korea in 2011 and the Maritime Unmanned Navigation through Intelligence in Networks (MUNIN) project launched in 2012 and financed by the European Union emerged as the first concrete steps. New developments about the topic are experienced day by day in the international arena with the lead of the United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), China, Denmark, Finland, South Korea, Japan, Norway and Singapore. While the governmental institutions make efforts especially on the establishment of legal regulations and standards, private institutions carry out studies on technological development. For example, UK Maritime Autonomous Systems Regulatory Working Group (MASRWG) has developed a code of conduct for autonomous ships. Norway has established the Norwegian Forum for Autonomous Ships (NFAS) to support and develop the concept of unmanned maritime transport with the participation of government agencies and industrial organizations. On the other hand, the Chinese Classification Society (CSS), ClassNK and DNV GL have initiated studies to set standards and to make recommendations for the revision of international regulations. From the private organizations, especially RollsRoyce, Google, Intel, Norway-based Yara and Kongsberg, Finland-based FinFries and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) spends effort to develop the technology. In addition to the consortiums established by governments and companies alone or together, There is an international group established to strengthen the relationship network between organizations interested in the field of autonomous and unmanned ships research. The group, called the International Network for Autonomous Ships (INAS) and whose secretariat is run by Norway, consists of 16 countries including USA, UK, China, Denmark, Finland, South Korea, Japan and Australia and European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). From the Turkey perspective, Dokuz Eylul University, İstanbul Technical University and Yıldız Technical University conducts research on the subject and companies such as ASELSAN and SANMAR are working on the subject. It is predicted that the autonomous or remotely controlled ships may commence operations sooner than expected due to the rapid development of the technology. IMO has taken the issue to its agenda taking this possibility into consideration. The 98th meeting (MSC 98) held by the IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) in June 2017 is the first committee meeting in which the concept of unmanned and autonomous ships came to the agenda. In the meeting, which was taking into consideration the rapid development of unmanned vessels in the future, it was suggested that the requirements of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) should be investigated under the headings of safety, security, environment and efficiency and discussed on revision of existing regulations. As a result of the MSC 98, it was decided that a work program should be initiated at the next meeting to define an “autonomous ship” definition and a regulatory scope on existing IMO regulations. At the 99th committee meeting (MSC 99) held in May 2018, the committee initiated a study on how safe, secure and environmentally sensitive MASS operations can be conducted. At this meeting, the Committee approved the methodology and work plan for the regulatory scoping study, which includes details such as the MASS definition and autonomous degrees. MASS was defined by the Committee as “a vessel capable of operating independently of varying degrees of human interaction”. At the 100th meeting (MSC 100) held in December 2018, the committee completed the first regulatory scoping activities for autonomous ships. IMO instruments to be discussed within the scope of the scoping exercise planned to be completed in 2020 include safety, watchkeeping standards, search and rescue, security, traffic rules, loading and ship balance. The committee also initiated a working group to establish guidelines for the testing of autonomous ships. As a result, the concept of autonomous and unmanned ships may be the hottest research topic in the maritime industry, nowadays. International institutions and organizations intensively carry out their initiatives and activities in order to gain competitive advantage in this new field. Turkey needs to be active not to miss the rapid progress in autonomous ship technology. Similar to the international activities mentioned above, launching some initiatives in Turkey is extremely important in terms of having a significant pie-share of the new technology in the future. Forming a research group consisting of universities, government agencies and private organizations and taking an active role as a member of international associations such as the INAS will contribute to be among the countries producing technologies for autonomous ship concept. As an editorial board, we plan to include more frequently the studies on autonomous ships and artificial intelligence applications in JEMS.

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