The MASS master: indispensable, or an illusory safeguard?

Smaller MASS (maritime autonomous surface ships), also referred to as USVs (unmanned surface vessels) or sea drones, are now in common use.1 They are built and used for purposes such as hydrographical surveys and data collection in hard-to-reach areas, and are also extensively used by the military. Larger cargo or passenger-carrying MASS are being trialled and are expected to become a commercial reality in the not-too-distant future.

It should be noted that where USVs are, by definition, unmanned, this is not necessarily the case for MASS. Autonomous does not equate to unmanned. Today, the pioneers of MASS generally still operate with a navigational crew on board, if only because, under the existing legislation, it would be impossible to operate entirely crewless.