Salvage and Maritime Autonomous Navigation

The increasing use of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) in salvage operations at sea requires a reflection on the adequacy of the current applicable legal framework, while also considering that the ship providing assis- tance, or the ship to be assisted, may no longer have a master or a crew on board. It means, on the one hand, that the salvage operation presents a lower degree of risk for the salvor; on the other hand, we could say that if the shore-based operator is far from the place where the salvage operations are to be carried out, he may not realize the exact extent of the danger for property and the people. Furthermore, all obligations of conduct of the salvor should be reconsidered, in the light of a new element of evaluation such as the use of artificial intelligence in the management of the ship, also to determine a suitable insurance coverage. This chapter analyzes the problems that may arise from the application of the current conventional law to MASS; it deals with the problem of the salvage reward if the activity is carried out by a MASS; finally, it presents its own concluding remarks.