Which Shipping Segments Are Most Suitable For Autonomous Ships?

This study explores the feasibility of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) for various shipping segments. Data was collected from a sample of 37 industry and academic respondents using a structured survey. The respondents were asked about the expected adoption timeline of MASS in various shipping segments. Within the next 5 years, a large majority of the respondents (43.24%) expect MASS to be adopted in the regional passenger ferry segment, followed by offshore wind farm and ro-ro shipping. Within the next 5 to 10 years, the container shipping segment is expected to surpass the offshore wind farm in the second place. While examining the industry and academic sample separately, industry respondents are slightly more optimistic in the 5 -year outlook than academics. The study provides predictions of future market development trends of MASS into different shipping segments.