This article investigates the legal and regulatory challenges associated with the development of maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) as well as the extent to which MASS also referred to as autonomous ships may proffer solutions to the problem of human error often associated with maritime accidents. There is no denying that ship mishaps have been linked to a human error within the maritime industry over the years. Hence, exploring solutions that would help reduce maritime mishaps while also saving costs is an eminent step going forward. In addition to the lack of explicit legal framework to regulate the development of MASS, the article demonstrates how the extent conventions and rules may pose legal barriers and regulatory challenges to the development of autonomous shipping. It recommends progressive interpretation of the extant laws as well as the need to adopt international legal framework in the form of a MASS code, new convention on autonomous shipping or the amendment of extent laws especially the Law of the Sea Convention and rules of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in order to clarify states and stakeholders' obligations in relation to autonomous shipping.

This paper will look at the changing role of Privately Contracted Armed Security Professionals, particularly national authority over their operations in international treaties, and describe the plethora of legal frameworks and industry-led policies that have arisen in the marine security. This will begin by illustrating the emergence of corporate naval security alongside the framework of the contemporary maritime industry's development. It will next assess the primary conceptual model laws in international norms that serve as sources of law for corporate maritime security actions, specifically UNCLOS, SUA, SOLAS, UN Firearms Protocol, as well as the Principle of Self-Defense and the Doctrine of Necessity. It will go into the tests of establishing whether, as alleged by some coastal state-governments, the presence of uniformed soldiers on board a commercial ship constitutes an impediment to innocuous passage or requires prior information. The entirety of the paper will discuss how the industry reacted to the surge in the maritime security field, including the emergence of legal framework, industry-led rules, behavioural standards, and certificate programmes designed to bring management gaps left by hard-law structures and restore stability, supervision, and responsibility to the maritime industry. The "Montreux Document, the International Code of Ethics for Private Security Services, and International Maritime Organization Circulars" are a few examples of this kind of advice. The report will culminate with a review of results and predictions for the legislative developments in the industry going forward.