Compliance with International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea in the Context of the Introduction of Autonomous Shipping

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a study on compliance with international regulations for preventing collisions at sea in terms of requirements for lights and signs in the context of the introduction of autonomous shipping. The author examined the international convention establishing the relevant rules, as well as the national legislation of the Russian Federation regulating compliance therewith, including at the stage of designing and constructing sea vessels. The paper examines issues arising from the lack of an approach to applying these standards to autonomous vessels, the main feature of which is the use of equipment and systems that reduce the influence of the human factor or completely eliminate it through automation. The starting point is the thesis that autonomous maritime surface vessels must ensure equivalent compliance with the requirements of international conventions that previously regulated the corresponding relations in the field of «classical», non-autonomous shipping. Based on the results of the study, the author developed a number of proposals for improving the system of legal instruments that ensure the safety of maritime navigation. They particularly concern ensuring the display of lights and signs on autonomous vessels through the application of the necessary technical and technological solutions, the use of which is currently associated with a number of law enforcement problems.