The proposed Advanced Training Course (ATC) focuses on the interdisciplinary approach necessary to face with the challenge topic related to a Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS). The technological development experienced in last years has been an important contribution to the enhancement of many sectors such as the autonomous land, air, and maritime vehicles. In the maritime field, it has been possible to observe the development of such MASS that, according to International Maritime Organization (IMO) definition, consist in ships with different grades of autonomy able to make operations without human interaction [1]. That possibility led to several interesting applications. For instance, Rolls-Royce and Finferries developed an autonomous ferry, named “Falco”, that exploiting sensors fusion, artificial intelligence, and an autonomous navigation systems, is able to detect objects, to avoid collisions and to make berthing operations without crew intervention [2]. In 2022 “Soleil”, a Japanese ferry performed a voyage of 240 kilometers in 7 hours and in complete autonomy, becoming the first vessel in the world performing this operation [3]. The AUTOSHIP project [4] provides another important perspective on the developing of autonomous vessels for short sea shipping and inland waterways scenarios, in order to make the ship transports more efficient and competitive with respect to the road transport. Another interesting application is presented in VesselAI [5] where the concepts of artificial intelligence (AI) and Digital Twins are joined to better estimate and model the ship operations under various conditions and in quasi-real time. From these examples, the possibilities of such incoming vehicles seem to be clear.

Over the past two years, the evolution of autonomous vessels has made significant strides, propelled by technology advancements and the increasing demand for safer and more efficient maritime operations. The incorporation of AI and Machine learning (ML) in the navigation systems of autonomous vessels has been a major development. These technologies enable the prediction and the quick decision-making needed for safe and efficient navigation. In 2019, Rolls-Royce and Intel announced a partnership aimed at developing sophisticated intelligent awareness systems for autonomous ships, combining AI, ML, and data analytics to create systems capable of detecting and interpreting data from the surrounding environment. Another significant advancement has been in the domain of communication technologies: the launch of new satellites and the development of high-speed and reliable communication systems facilitated the real-time transmission of vast amounts of data between vessels and control centers. In 2020, the European Space Agency announced a partnership with several maritime companies to develop SAT-AIS, a satellite-based Automatic Identification System intended to track ships across the globe.

The autonomous sea navigation is currently demonstrating its importance and effectiveness in the context of sea transports, providing a push forward onto different aspects. More in detail, the employment of autonomous vessels could provide several benefits on the technological side, since the automatic use of multiple and diverse information generates an advanced and efficient system. In that sense, autonomous vessels are able to plan optimal routes automatically, reducing the fuel consumption and the emission of pollutants in the atmosphere, contributing, on the environmental side, to global warming mitigation. At the same time, an increased efficiency is achieved, thanks to the operational capabilities of autonomous systems, able to operate continuously, differently from humans, for which a rest period is, of course, needed.

That allows reducing the crew size, providing cost benefits for the shipping company implementing such autonomous systems. Because of this, specific training must be given to those professionals that are going to work with such advanced systems. Finally, the increase in this novel sector will have an impact also on the economic side, leading to the growth of new demands, services and business model, needed to deal with this innovation on the sea transports. Overall, these aspects are considered in the proposed ATC course.

The proposed ATC aims to interact with the disciplines included in the abovementioned projects/studies with an innovative multidisciplinary approach starting from the definition of the International Regulation Framework in which this new vessel operations will fall under, up to illustrate all the enabling technologies and the socio economics impact of its introduction.

The training course, structured in 4 blocks as detailed in the following section, has to main goals: the first (Blocks 1 and 2) is to analyze all the general aspects and the technologies employed in MASS; the second (Block 3 and 4) is to describe the MASS operations and the new opportunities related to its introduction in the existing ecosystem. All these topics are analyzed by stressing the importance of the robustness of the on-board technology and the resiliency of the infrastructures involved in its functionality and monitoring. This approach can help to recognize various threats (terrorism-explosion, crime – cyberattacks, natural events – flooding etc.), modelling the behavior of critical infrastructure elements under such threats and consequently to design adequate means of protection from the new intentional actions not only by this new Unmanned System. The use of MASS for navigation purposes makes necessary the establishment of specific regulations. IMO Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) is making efforts for the establishment of rules dedicated to the MASS operations and, according to the MSC 105th and MSC 106th sessions, its objective is to provide “non-mandatory goal-based MASS Code to take effect in 2025, which will form the basis for a mandatory goal-based MASS Code, expected to enter into force on 1 January 2028” with the aim to balance the benefits coming from novel technologies and safety and security concerns, the environmental aspect, the cost to companies and the impact on ship and shore personnel [6]. Specifically, the MASS rules will cover a lot of legislative aspects such as the safety and security (SOLAS – Safety Of Life At Sea); collision regulation (COLREG); loading and stability; seafarers, and fisher trainings (STCW, STCW-F); search and rescue (SAR) operations and so on [6]. As it seems, the incoming sector of autonomous vessels could be challenging also from the regulations point of view; from this the necessity of the focus provided by this ATC.

Among all the NATO SPS Key Priorities, this course aims to contribute to the Resilience one, emphasizing the importance of MASS in the defense and security context. Naturally, such systems must respect international maritime regulations and standards. In detail, according to NATO.

The approach explored in the ATC is based on the shipboard guidance and monitoring system, which can issue warnings on the main deck depending on the effect of the sea state on the ship. Artificial intelligence plays a key role on this voyage, as there are a variety of applications for collaborative systems based on humans and AI. For example, starting from the knowledge of the planned and accepted route that the vessel must follow, it could be necessary to develop a safety awareness system based on a classifier that warns the operator on board when a safety index is exceeded, i.e. if the vessel does not or cannot follow the planned course, the navigator can make a decision based on the synergy between him/her and the AI and approved by the VTS. Therefore, it is important to explore in ATC (Block 2) the new possibilities that arise from the use of AI in maritime sector. Finally, MASS sector reserves a lot of possibilities, applications, and perspectives but, despite such potentialities, there are also some challenges to face regarding the interoperability with manned vessels and the resilience of the exchanged information to protect them from cyber-attacks. Cybersecurity is a major concern, with the increased reliance on digital systems making vessels more vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Despite this, the potential benefits of autonomous vessels continue to drive their development. Companies and regulatory bodies worldwide are working together to overcome these challenges and harness the potential of this transformative technology, setting the stage for an exciting future in maritime tranOsportation. The ATC will cover all the problems related to the vulnerability of the information and communication systems, with a particular focus on the interoperability between MASS and manned ships, and the protection of communication and navigation system, i.e., AIS and GNSS, from the broadcasting of fake information, jammed or spoofed signal.

To summarize, the proposed training course aims to train workers of the maritime field, in order to make them able to deal with such an innovation on the transportation and security. Since MASS make use of machine learning, sensors integration, remote control, cybersecurity modules and so on, professionals must be able to properly exploit all these technologies. In that sense, multi-disciplinarity is a key-point of the proposed ATC course because MASS involves multiple disciplines like engineering, navigation, computer science, and maritime regulation. So, a comprehensive course providing notions on all the necessary disciplines is essential. Thanks to this, crew members can be aware of the potentialities and the limitations of all the on board systems that constitute an important step-forward in the maritime domain. Indeed, exploiting different types of information, the possibility to plan optimal routes and to execute maritime operations allows unlocking better efficiency and money-saving. Naturally, since these systems are quite new, safety is another essential element to take into account when training professionals, that must know all the procedures, information and regulations of MASS. Finally, the ATC course can provide inspiration and innovative ideas for future advancements in the field on marine navigation technologies.

References

• [1] International Maritime Organization (IMO), "IMO takes first steps to address autonomous ships," 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/Pages/08-MSC-99-mass-scoping.aspx.
• [2] Rolls-Royce, "Rolls-Royce and Finferries demonstrate world’s first Fully Autonomous Ferry," 2018. [Online]. Available: https://www.rolls-royce.com/media/press-releases/2018/03-12-2018-rr-and-finferries-demonstrate-worlds-first-fully17autonomous-ferry.aspx.
• [3] SYM-Naval, "First autonomous vessels already sailing in Japan," 2022. [Online]. Available: https://symnaval.com/blog/autonomous-vesselsjapan/#:~:text=The%20first%20result%20has%20been,and%20Iyonada%20in%20seven%20hours..
• [4] "AUTOSHIP - Autonomous Shipping Initiative for European Waters," [Online]. Available: https://www.autoship-project.eu/.
• [5] “VesselAI - Maritime Digitalisation,” [Online]. Available: https://vessel-ai.eu/factsheet.html.
• [6] IMO - International Maritime Organization, "Autonomous Shipping," 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/HotTopics/Pages/Autonomous-shipping.aspx.