Regulatory scoping exercise for the future adoption of autonomous inland ships in Europe

Abstract

Shipping is a heavily regulated sector, and autonomous ships will by no means be able to escape the public regulator’s agenda. Furthermore, regulatory adaptation is necessary because current laws oppose the introduction of this new technology. In contrast to maritime shipping, in which considerable regulatory work on autonomous ships has already been achieved, the process of adapting inland shipping regulations for autonomous vessels is rather slow, thereby considerably hindering the further development of the sector. An important reason for this is the multi-levelled regulatory institutional structure in European inland shipping, which consequently has less unified rules than its maritime counterpart. In addition, previous research on regulatory obstacles is highly fragmented and restricted in scope. This study presents a systematic regulatory analysis of relevant inland shipping regulations by following the approach adopted by the International Maritime Organisation with respect to maritime shipping regulations, with the objective of identifying potential obstacles in relevant regulatory instruments and common themes across them. It also discusses the existing possibilities under current European Union law for the exceptional operation of autonomous inland ships and describes the latest policy directions taken by the European legislator to foster innovation development within the sector.