The intriguing topic on autonomous ships has received mixed reactions from different sectors in the maritime industry. The question on whether or not Resource Management and soft skills training will still be important when autonomous ships are in place is one of the important issues that accompany the increasing pace of technological advancement of our time. Some experts say that it will take many years before autonomous ships will be allowed to sail the open seas. Some say that autonomous ships are almost here and with this technology, it will remove humans from the equation.

In most cases where accidents occur at sea, human error is usually to be blamed. This is why the Maritime industry has been advocating for the reduction of accidents and incidents and for increased safety through resource management training. The Maritime Resource Management training course has been one of the tools used in addressing these human factors issues. We’ve seen great results when knowledge gained from these type of soft skills training are properly implemented.

But if human error is to be blamed in so many accidents at sea, will autonomous vessels be the answer in reducing accidents and incidents? What is your take on this?  We welcome your comments and suggestions and we would like to maintain a professional tone in our discussions within this forum.