Gordon Meadow

Gordon is committed to the long-term development of maritime education and training. He is chair of the Institute of Marine Engineering Science and Technology (IMarEST) Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships Special Interest Group (MASS SIG). The MASS SIG is engaged in seafarer workforce succession planning to determine the nature of future human-machine integration and how this will inform future skills and training requirements to the years 2035 and 2050. Formerly an associate professor engaged in applied research at Warsash Maritime Academy – one of the UK's leading maritime training institutions – he is now founder and CEO of SeaBot XR.

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Presentation

Assessment of MAS impact on safety using historical data

The development of MAS could hold great promise for improvements in shipping safety. Apart from demonstration projects, MAS has yet to move into full-scale commercial operation, therefore little data or formal safety cases currently exist. Opportunely, there is however a large bank of available information on previous shipping accidents and incidents. This presentation will share the findings of a research project benchmarking the root causes of several historical shipping incidents and the quantitative impact of greater functional autonomy. We will explore safety improvements as well as where the introduction of greater automation could introduce new dangers.