The U.S. autonomous vessel market has continued to develop over the past year with developments in the defense sector, academia, and offshore energy industry. Recent Congressional interest in emerging maritime technologies supports a view of cautious optimism in the coming year, which may work to “level the playing field” for the commercial market as the defense and space industries continue to lead the way in the U.S. Investment in the U.S. market is taking shape in discrete areas, and Congressional authorizations are starting to overcome limitations created by U.S. laws that require minimum vessel manning and compliance with navigation laws (COLREGs). Testing by academic institutions is supporting collaboration and safe development of use cases. Moreover, labor shortages and emerging opportunities for new technologies may present useful justifications, although operators should still expect strategic and long-term engagement with the U.S. Coast Guard in order to achieve permissions to operate without crew (or reduced crew) and with advance autonomous functionality.
This is an Alert
I am a description. Click the edit button to change this text.
