The Readiness of the Maritime Education for the Autonomous Shipping Operations

Abstract

Technological advancement in the maritime industry is progressing in a rapid pace and needs continuous development of seafarer’s education to cope with this development. In the area of automation, unmanned shipping is expected to offer more effective way of moving freight in a way that reduce costs and accidents caused by human errors ,moreover the autonomous operations supports the transition towards sustainable and eco- friendly transportation MO is reviewing the existing IMO adopted conventions to perceive how they may apply to ships with differing levels of automation , to establish a regulatory framework for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS).The current version of STCW 1978 (as amended) has 19 competence themes consisting of 66 Knowledge, Understanding & Proficiency items (KUPs), which specifies the minimum standard of competence for officers in charge of a navigational watch on ships of 500 gross tonnage or more ,The curriculums in maritime education and training (MET) university education must react and adjust to the upcoming changes within the maritime industry which demand raising the awareness among all industry stakeholders on the essential Competencies for Autonomous Maritime Operation. This paper will review the readiness of the existing STCW framework for the implementation of the different degrees of the Autonomous vessels, further to investigate the seafarer training needs for Operating Autonomous Ships, in particular degree 1 and degree 2 Autonomous Ships.