<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The continuous development of autonomous and unmanned technology is accelerating the adoption of unmanned vessels for various maritime operations. Despite the technological developments there is still a lack of clear regulatory and organizational frameworks for testing and exploiting the potential of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) in real-world maritime conditions. Such real-world testing becomes ever more complex when operating in multiple nations territorial waters. In May 2019 USV ‘Maxlimer’ crossed the North Sea from the United Kingdom to Belgium and back, carrying goods, to demonstrate the ability of unmanned surface vessels to interact with real marine traffic in an uncontrolled environment. The paper presents this mission in light of the current state of marine autonomy projects as well as the regulatory works conducted by various organizations worldwide.</p>
</abstract>

The continuous development of autonomous and unmanned technology is accelerating the adoption of unmanned vessels for various maritime operations. Despite the technological developments there is still a lack of clear regulatory and organizational frameworks for testing and exploiting the potential of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) in real-world maritime conditions. Such real-world testing becomes ever more complex when operating in multiple nations territorial waters. In May 2019 USV ‘Maxlimer’ crossed the North Sea from the United Kingdom to Belgium and back, carrying goods, to demonstrate the ability of unmanned surface vessels to interact with real marine traffic in an uncontrolled environment. The paper presents this mission in light of the current state of marine autonomy projects as well as the regulatory works conducted by various organizations worldwide.

The Assessment of Unmanned Vessel Operation in Heavy Traffic Areas. Case Study of the North Sea Crossing by Unmanned Surface Vessel Sea-Kit

Maritime Technical Journal

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The continuous development of autonomous and unmanned technology is accelerating the adoption of unmanned vessels for various maritime operations. Despite the...

The Assessment of Unmanned Vessel Operation in Heavy Traffic Areas. Case Study of the North Sea Crossing by Unmanned Surface Vessel Sea-Kit

Published Online: Mar 08, 2022

Page range: 41 - 67

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjpna-2022-0004

Keywords
Unmanned Surface Vessel, Autonomous Surface Vessel, marine autonomy, USV ‘SEA-KIT’, collision avoidance

© 2021 Karolina Zwolak et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Assessment of Unmanned Vessel Operation in Heavy Traffic Areas. Case Study of the North Sea Crossing by Unmanned Surface Vessel Sea-Kit

Published Online: Mar 08, 2022

Page range: 41 - 67

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/sjpna-2022-0004

KeywordsUnmanned Surface Vessel, Autonomous Surface Vessel, marine autonomy, USV ‘SEA-KIT’, collision avoidance

© 2021 Karolina Zwolak et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
Unmanned Surface Vessel, Autonomous Surface Vessel, marine autonomy, USV ‘SEA-KIT’, collision avoidance