RECOMMENDED ADJUSTMENTS TO SHIP CREW TRAINING IN PREPARATION FOR LEVEL 2 MARITIME AUTONOMOUS SURFACE SHIP TECHNOLOGIES

Abstract

Maritime autonomous surface ship (MASS) technologies promise substantial advantages and benefits. These technologies are not expected to immediately replace existing commercial vessels and crews, but they already face challenges related to regulation, legislation, reliability, and scepticism. Although ship crews are considered the primary operators and adopters of unmanned vessels, they must continue to refine their skills in response to future challenges associated with technological advancement. Given the aforesaid circumstances, this study proposed various recommendations for crew training following the transition to Level 2 MASS technologies. The decision analytic network process was used to analyse the causality and weight of both main constructs and their sub-criteria. The results indicate that crew competencies is the most crucial construct. Future ship crews will require training focused on their ability to monitor MASS decision-making and increasing their proficiency in integrating software and hardware. MASS vessels should be designed with a modular approach, and more extensive training in artificial intelligence should be provided to ship crews.