Chichester Yacht Club Magazine April 2017 | Page 12

Once an unmanned ship has left the coast it is The vessels can be expected to be equipped
almost impossible to intervene – how do you fix with navigation lights and AIS and to be
a diesel engine in the middle of the Atlantic?
maintaining a lookout by one means or
another, often with a human operator
It is probably significant that in all the mock-up monitoring it remotely
pictures that are published, such vessels are
navigating a calm sea under a blue sky.
Having said that, your correspondent intends to
exercise caution if he meets one close up.
However, it is undeniable that the smaller
unmanned vessels with specific missions are
The ColRegs were written for humans. Despite
already here and are likely to be more and
their thoroughness, they depend on a human’s
more important in fields such as marine
ability to determine if a situation currently
surveying, development of offshore resources, applies, but also to exploit flexibility in the
scientific research, military operations and
actions prescribed in a rule, especially if other
others no doubt not yet thought of.
vessels are around.
There is indeed a company called AutoNaut
resident in Chichester Marina that is
developing unmanned vessels operated by
wave power. They emphasise sight and hearing as
important means of keeping a good lookout
and machines can’t yet do that as well as a
human.
So what do you do if you meet one of these
vessel s at sea? As a danger to leisure vessels though, they are
easier to spot than fishing buoys and so easier
to deal with.
Well most authorities consider that ColRegs
apply. The UK Marine Industries Alliance has
published a Code of Practice for Marine
Autonomous Systems (Surface) - MAS(S)
under the tagline “Being a Responsible
Industry” which amongst much other good stuff
confirms the applicability of ColRegs.
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However, to misquote that prophetic cinematic
masterpiece Terminator: “Listen and
Understand. That vessel is out there. It can't be
reasoned with, it can't be bargained with, it
doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear and it
absolutely will not stop. Ever”.