Beware of the Low-Hanging Fruit – Autonomous Vehicles in the Maritime Dimension.

Autonomous vehicles have seen a meteoric rise in popularity amongst governments and corporations looking to utilize technology for both economic and strategic gains, both on land and out at sea. This paper focuses on the entrance of autonomous vehicles into the maritime dimension, examining the reasons driving the burgeoning reputation of autonomous vehicles out at sea, before dissecting some of the myths behind these reasons. The article will first assess three core reasons behind the rise in demand for autonomous vehicles out at sea, before contending that the benefits of introducing autonomous vehicles out at sea have been overblown, and that there are structural concerns and limitations that will hamstring the practicality of using autonomous vehicles in the maritime domain. These concerns intersect with the domains of technological maturity, maritime security, as well as international law, and that a presumptuous push for the widespread implementation of autonomous vehicles in the maritime domain will increase the dangers faced by seafarers out at sea, going against the natural progression of maritime operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]