MASS Level III – Exploration of Current Issues from an Operational Point of View

Abstract

Despite all efforts to ensure the safety of ships, available statistics show that the human factor remains the biggest problem in the maritime industry. The desire to improve the safety of ships and the related protection of the environment has been at the heart of the Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) concept, which is supported by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Although the concept itself seems feasible in principle, there are still a number of open questions from an operational point of view. Furthermore, the economic feasibility of the concept is unknown. This paper ad-dresses questions to which there are currently no answers.