As plans continue for the deployment of a number of autonomous ferries on Norwegian routes as early as this autumn captains and mates on Norwegian ships have expressed concerns around technical safety.

The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU’s) Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management is conducting research on seafarers’ trust in autonomous vessels and has found fears remain.

“Seafarers feel strongly that people should continue to work on board, maintaining oversight and control so that unforeseen events can be managed properly,” said PhD research fellow  Asbjørn Lein Aalberg.

In the new study, he and Professor Trond Kongsvik  identified several topics, or challenges, related to the safety of autonomous ships.

The study is based on open-ended responses from a total of 1,009 captains and mates on Norwegian ships. The answers they received concerned everything from how to handle emergencies to concern for seafarers’ competence and awareness:

“In waves of over 4 metres, I do not want to encounter an autonomous ship that does not use the ‘bad weather route’ like we do,” said one respondent.

“Crews are becoming lazy because they expect an alarm on absolutely everything,” added another.

The team said if their concerns are taken seriously, it may be safer to let computers take over more tasks on board.

They explained the  aim of the research is to ensure safer use of advanced technology and to increase seafarers’ trust in autonomy. Aalberg believes that in order to achieve this, authorities, researchers, technology developers, ship designers and shipping companies must actively address the challenges highlighted by the seafarers.

Captains and mates have command on board ships. From the bridge, they must maintain oversight, control and the ability to handle situations as they arise. The maritime industry is currently struggling with recruitment, and many stakeholders are investing in automation. Today’s seafarers have little confidence that this will be certain. The industry must understand why they are sceptical if it is to get them on board, said Aalberg.

“Trust is the key to collaboration between people and systems. If most seafarers are sceptical about the new technology, it provides a poor foundation for recruiting competent personnel,” he continued.

Society will need seafarers for the foreseeable future, but their roles are changing. If we are to achieve safe and effective solutions, seafarers must be involved. For example, in the pilot and test phases, they are the ones who will be best able to assess how things work, the NTNU researcher explained.

Aalberg sees similarities with the field medicine. Artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly accurate at assessing X-rays, for example. Nevertheless, medical experts tend to believe that they are better at assessing the whole and particularly complicated cases. Just like ship officers, they find it difficult to fully trust the technology.

A large proportion of the responses related to concerns about the technology. However, the researchers were surprised that many seafarers are most concerned about losing their own skills – that they might become mentally ‘lazy’ from ‘just sitting there’ and become overly reliant on the technology.

Aalberg likened it to how we have become accustomed to driving a car with GPS and automatic gears. That means it will not be easy to suddenly have to navigate with a map and shift gears manually. If a ferry is to operate autonomously all the time, the captain loses his or her intuition. Everything from mastering critical events to manoeuvring in bad weather.

“For example, when a ferry with hundreds of passengers has to be evacuated quickly. We have to investigate, and find solutions to these things. The best way to achieve this is by listening to what the professionals think,” Aalberg.

He hopes that authorities, shipping companies, and designers in the maritime industry can use his research results to tackle these challenges.

“It is important that the development takes place in a way that builds trust among seafarers, passengers and other users,” emphasised Aalberg.