Exploring Bangladeshi Maritime Stakeholders' Perceptions of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships Integration

Author: Bappy Kumar Adhikary
DOI: doi.org/10.70279/bmj-v8-1039
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Humanity has experienced and undergone three distinctive industrial revolutions since the dawn of civilization. The emergence of autonomous technology and automation ushered in a new era of industrialization called the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the shipping industry will be significantly impacted by the rapid advancements of automation and autonomous technology. The shipping sector is gradually transitioning from human-operated conventional shipping to the autonomous shipping concept. IMO was the first to adopt the term MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship) and is currently working towards the development of a 2028-scheduled mandatory goal-based MASS Code. Several developing maritime nations, including Norway, Finland, Japan, Korea, and China, have undertaken extensive research on this topic and demonstrated multiple autonomous vessel trials. Despite being a maritime nation and possessing a glorious maritime history, Bangladesh has yet to make any significant contributions to the autonomous shipping sector. Against this backdrop, this study delves into the case of Bangladesh, investigating the global development, and its stakeholder's perception of integrating MASS into its maritime landscape. A mixed methods approach (a combination of qualitative and quantitative methodologies) is utilized to examine the perceptions of Bangladeshi maritime stakeholders regarding the implementation of autonomous vessels. The findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of MASS in Bangladesh's maritime domain.