• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.256-265
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• 2021

Ground, sea and air mobility, such as vehicles, ships, and airplanes, are generally operated by people. Based on the innovative development of autonomous decision-making systems and artificial intelligence (AI) following the recent fourth industrial revolution, research and development on maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) is been actively performed around the world. Before the realization of the commercialization of MASS in international maritime transport, it is urgent to clarify the characteristics of this ship and its international legal status. This paper aims to analyze the concern of whether a ship without crew members will eventually be operated as a fully unmanned ship or can be recognized as a ship under international law as the number of crew members is gradually reduced owing to the development stage of autonomous ships. Consequently, based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the regulations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), it was found that MASS has the same international legal status as general ships. In addition this paper presents the working principles of enacting and revising the IMO Conventions and international legal measures necessary for the safe operation of MASS.