What factors may influence decision-making in the operation of Maritime autonomous surface ships? A systematic review

Abstract

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) are being introduced with high levels of autonomy. This means that not only the role of the human operator is changing but also the way in which operations are performed. MASS are expected to be uncrewed platforms that are operated from a Remote Control Centre (RCC). As such, the concept of human-machine teams is important. The operation of MASS however shares some resemblance to other uncrewed platforms (e.g. Uncrewed Aerial Vehicles; UAVs) and it may be that lessons could be learned in relation to the development of MASS systems. A systematic literature review has been conducted, focusing on decision making, to generate insights into operating uncrewed vehicle platforms and design recommendations for MASS. Seven themes were revealed: decision support systems, trust, transparency, teams, task/role allocation, accountability and situation awareness. A Network Model was developed to show the interconnections between these themes which was then applied to a case study of an UAV accident. The purpose of doing this was to demonstrate the utility of the model to real-world scenarios and showed how each theme applied within the human-machine team.