As of today, there are no separate regulations for autonomous vessels and there is an ongoing discussion about whether to apply and adapt the current regulations or whether a new one should be developed.
Børge Kjeldstad and Giorgio M. Kufoalor from Maritime Robotics AS have together with Jon Ulvensøen from the University of Southeast Norway written a whitepaper for ZAWAS. The article reviews parts of the current regulations and discusses how individual functions can be carried out by a remote operator, focusing on what goes into keeping watch (lookout) and the navigation itself.
Read the article below or download it to your PC.
Whitepaper – Using the Watchkeeping regulation to verify safe operation of Uncrewed Surface Vessels