Determination of Merchant Ships that Most Likely to be Autonomously Operated

Maritime transport is the main mode of transport used for the intercontinental transit of freights. Since the mid-sixties, and as international trade has developed, several types of ships have appeared. This plurality is an asset in that shippers can find the vessel that best suits the port infrastructure and the type of goods to be transported. Today with the technological revolution, most projects and studies seek to automate these different types of vessels in order to have a remotely controlled or autonomous vessel. Indeed, the automation of this mode of transport has as many advantages as limits given the sensitive sector. In this article, the different types of vessels are analyzed according to four axes: network and navigation, logistics, safety and environment in order to determine the most likely vessels to be autonomous.