Interaction between unmanned vessels and COLREGs

Abstract

Autonomous or remote controlled vessels are a completely new subject, which are under development right now. There is a possibility that in a few years we will see unmanned vessels sailing in international waters. These vessels will still have to be following the navigational rules at sea. This thesis examines unmanned vessels and how they will interact with the current amendment of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), mainly part A and B. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how unmanned vessels interact with the navigational rules in COLREGS and if there will be any obstacles for implementing them in international waters. As research methodology we used a literature-based theoretical analysis in combination with a qualitative research. Our conclusions are that compliance with COLREGS doesn’t seem to be a huge problem for unmanned vessels. Most experts agree that compliance with COLREGS isn’t a serious issue and the liability in case something happens is a more serious problem. Unmanned vessels have already been tested in a few projects where they have been able to follow the Collision Regulations and navigate safely without accidents. However, a few things such as look-out and responsibility might need clarification before unmanned vessels will start to appear on a larger scale.