Greening the Maritime Sector Through Autonomous Shipping: Rethinking Safety, Liability, and Regulatory Frameworks

This article examines the intersection between maritime decarbonization and the rise of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). International shipping contributes nearly three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, making technological innovation essential to meet the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s 2023 Greenhouse Gas Strategy and net-zero ambitions. MASS, powered by artificial intelligence, offer opportunities for fuel optimization, emissions reduction, and digital efficiency. Yet, their deployment exposes profound legal gaps. Existing conventions—such as the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), and the Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC)) Citation1976 (Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC) Citation1976)—were drafted for crewed vessels, leaving unresolved questions about safety oversight, cybersecurity resilience, and liability allocation among shipowners, artificial intelligence developers, and Remote Control Centers. Through case studies such as the Wakashio and comparative insights from oil pollution, nuclear liability, and aviation law, the article demonstrates how fragmented liability regimes risk either under-compensating victims or over-deterring innovation. It argues for proactive reform: extending limitation rights conditionally to new stakeholders, redefining recklessness standards, mandating insurance, and potentially establishing international compensation funds. The study concludes that only by recalibrating legal frameworks can MASS become a catalyst for a greener, safer, and more equitable maritime future.