Informal agreements between ships now and in the future

Abstract

Over the past hundred years there have been great improvements to regulations at sea, worldwide communication systems, and maritime technology. Today we have the international collision regulations (COLREGs), a working GMDSS system, and the technology to enable ships with unmanned bridges in only a few years. Still, there are points of contention. One example is the issue of ships communicating with each other over the radio. Some argue against making informal agreements, while others see such agreements as an easier and better solution – even though that entails bending of the rules (COLREGs). The aim of this study has been to explore to what extent the COLREG are disregarded, and how the disregarding eventually is substituted for, with the use of other instruments. It has been of interest to explore situations in the present, but also to explore how OOW´s see situations when looking to the future – if unmanned ships are to be a part of interacting situations. OOW (officers on watch) have been interviewed about a scenario where the intention was to unpack and understand officer’s decision making in interacting situations. Also, observations have been made, during simulated scenarios. The results from the interviews and the observations are discussed against theory, with a following conclusion. The conclusion shows us that most officers will at times use radio communication during interacting situations with a conventional ship. However, most officers would follow the COLREGs unconditionally if the interacting ship were autonomous.