The rapid development of autonomous systems and Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) create new opportunities for maritime activities. Existing autonomous systems are becoming more powerful and utilise the capabilities of several types of devices such as Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs)sometimes referred as Autonomous Surface Vehicles (ASVs) -, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), moored and drifting systems and, recently emerging, autonomous vessels. Their importance in providing new services in maritime environments is undeniable and the opportunity for coordinated and interconnected operations is clear. However, continuous wide integration of various technologies in maritime environments still faces many challenges. Operations may take place in remote locations, so that dependence on third-party infrastructures such as satellite communication or terrestrial communication systems must be expected. The reliability, performance, availability, and cost of such systems are important issues that need to be tackled. This work reviews the major advancements on state-of-the-art autonomous maritime vehicles and systems, which are used in several different scenarios, from scientific research to transportation. Moreover, the paper highlights how available technologies can be composed in order to efficiently and effectively operate in maritime environments. Highlights of the trade-off between autonomy and communication requirements are provided and followed by an overview of promising communication and networking technologies that could encourage the integration of autonomous systems in maritime scenarios.

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The European maritime transport policy recognizes the importance of the waterborne transport systems as key elements for sustainable growth in Europe. A major goal is to transfer more than 50% of road transport to rail or waterways within 2050. To meet this challenge waterway transport needs to get more attractive and overcome its disadvantages. Therefore, it is necessary to develop new knowledge and technology and find a completely new approach to short sea and inland waterways shipping. A key element in this is automation of ships, ports and administrative tasks aligned to requirements of different European regions. One main goal in the AEGIS project is to increase the efficiency of the waterways transport with the use of higher degrees of automation corresponding with new and smaller ship types to reduce costs and secure higher frequency by feeders and provide multimodal green logistics solutions combining short sea shipping with rail and road transport.

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A paradigm shift is presently underway in the shipping industry promising safer, greener and more efficient ship traffic. In this article, we will look at some of the accidents from conventional shipping and see if they could have been avoided with autonomous ship technology. A hypothesis of increased safety is often brought forward, and we know from various studies that the number of maritime accidents that involves what is called "human error" ranges from some 60-90 percent. If we replace the human with automation, can we then reduce the number of accidents? On the other hand, is there a possibility for new types of accidents to appear? What about the accidents that are today averted by the crew? This paper will present a method to assess these different aspects of the risk scenarios in light of the specific capabilities and constraints of autonomous ships. http://www.transnav.eu the International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation Volume 13 Number 3