Salvage AND Autonomous Maritime Navigation

Maritime Salvage is one of the sectors in which Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) are most widely used, and in which important de- velopments are expected in terms of automation of the related activities. At the same time, there is a growing commitment to balance the benefits of new technologies and the use of artificial intelligence with maritime secur- ity concerns, including cybersecurity, with costs and impacts on labour and environmental sustainability. It is now clear that the ultimate goal of autonomous ships will be the total replacement of seafarers with on-board software that allows fewer accidents caused by human error, especially in hostile environments where assistance is required for people, things and vessels in the aquatic environment. All this has clear repercussions on the applicable legal regime, also in consideration of the future international ad- option of a MASS Code that identifies the role of a Remote Operation Centre (ROC) and intervenes to redesign the functions of the Remote Master. This paper aims to analyse the concepts mentioned, also in order to integrate them into the current regulatory framework of reference in the sector.