Autonomous and remotely-operated ships

Autoremote is the adjective DNV coined to refer to any operation, task, function or system where the intention is to create additional decision support, remote control, or autonomous functionality compared to a conventional, crewed ship. In this context, an autoremote vessel is equipped with autoremote systems that enable the desired function. For more details about the autoremote functions, please visit Class Notations.

Autoremote vessels have no specific type, a container vessel trading internationally can be autoremote as much as a harbour tug can be. The “autoremoteness” of a vessel will depend on the mode of operation and location of control of a vessel, for more details about the Location of Control and Mode of Operation, please visit Class Notations. Since they are so different and can be operated in so many ways, there is no one-size-fits all approach to the evaluation of these vessel concepts. For that, DNV uses a risk-based approach called Concept Qualification.

Concept qualification (CQ) can be used when there is an idea for a concept that challenges today’s statutory regulations and thus needs the maritime administration’s explicit approval to be allowed to operate. DNV supports this by providing third-party verification and working together with flag states to ensure the safety of the new concepts. In projects where the flag states are not necessarily involved e.g. small crafts, we support the owner/ operator in evaluating the equivalent safety compared to crafts of the same size and operation.

The concept qualification includes the analysis of various documents, assessing the Concept of Operations (ConOps), the safety, design and maintenance philosophies, verification and validation strategies, as well as test reports. The System qualification (explained in Autoremote Systems) is also part of the CQ process. The goal of the SQ is to evaluate if the technologies composing the Autoremote concept are suitable to the define operation and philosophy of the vessel. These thorough processes assess the risk of the novel concept and help the Flag administrations ensure an equivalent or higher level of safety when compared to conventional vessels.

Details about the process and documentation needed for a Concept Qualification can be found in DNV-CG-0264 Section 3.2.