This paper presents the extent of the currently achieved progress in autonomous and remotely controlled ships in the maritime sector. Major researches, statements from relevant sources and various anticipations on this subject are presented to outline a comprehensive scope of such progress. The engine room on conventional merchant ships is used as a viewpoint because it comprises numerous and complex systems. The main purpose of this paper is to establish a link between the levels of autonomy and the engine room with its associated systems on a conventional ship. At each level, the link should describe the relations between autonomy and the systems which are commonly found in the engine room on conventional ships. To create this link, comparison analysis uses the latest statements from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Classification Societies. Technical standards for autonomous and offshore vessels are derived from the guidelines provided by Classification Societies. Technical standards and requirements, related to the engine room of such ships, are individually described and compared to provide accurate and comprehensive scope of their current progress.

SummaryFamiliarisation is an important factor of safety on technologically advanced ships. International Safety Management Code (ISM Code) states that the Company should establish procedures to ensure the familiarisation process, but the exact way in which familiarisation should be carried out and the duration of the process are not determined. Familiarisation is often regarded as formality although it should not be the case at all. Non-compliance with the required familiarisation procedures and flaws in the safety system often result in human error. The latter is a major cause of numerous sea accidents. The research published has revealed that shipping companies and seafarers often fail to follow the prescribed procedures and perform familiarisation inadequately.This research is based on a survey of Croatian and Montenegrin deck and engine officers. The survey results indicate weaknesses in the familiarisation and handover processes on board ships. Therefore, suggestions are made for enhancing the existing procedures, aiming at a more efficient familiarisation and handover, particularly aboard technologically advanced ships.

The efficiency and safety of maritime traffic in a given area can be measured by analyzing traffic density and ship collision probability. Maritime traffic density is the number of ships passing through a given area in a given period of time. It can be measured using vessel tracking systems, such as the Automatic Identification System (AIS). The information provided by AIS is real-time data designed to improve maritime safety. However, the AIS data can also be used for scientific research purposes to improve maritime safety by developing predictive models for collisions in a research area. This article proposes a ship collision probability estimation model based on Monte Carlo simulation (MC) and bidirectional long short-term memory neural network (Bi-LSTM) for the maritime region of Split. The proposed model includes the processing of AIS data, the verification of AIS data, the determination of ports and ship routes, MC and the collision probability, the Bi-LSTM learning process based on MC, the ship collision probability for new or existing routes, and the traffic density. The results of MC, i.e., traffic/vessel route and density, and collision probability for the study area can be used for Bi-LSTM training with the aim of estimating ship collision probability. This article presents the first part of research that includes MC in detail, followed by a preliminary result based on one day of processed AIS data used to simulate MC and propose a model architecture that implements Bi-LSTM for ship collision probability estimation.

The traffic density is a basic characteristic of marine traffic for some navigational area. In the case of narrow channels such as Strait of Split (Splitska vrata), apart from the traffic density, the number of simultaneous ship passages is also important as well as ships characteristics. Based on such data, additional navigational safety guidelines and regulations may be planned for the observed area. The purpose of this research is to determine the number of simultaneous ship passages via Strait of Split for a certain period of time. Collected AIS data in SPNMEA format was decoded by AIS Decoder online program to csv file. For five randomly selected days in the summer period, based on AIS data, the number of simultaneous ship passages was determined and ships information presented. http://www.transnav.eu the International Journal on Marine Navigation and Safety of Sea Transportation Volume 12 Number 4

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