While IMO's e-Navigation project's scope is to enhance safety of navigation by improved shipto-shore-cooperation, the EU's FP7 project MUNIN's aim is to develop a concept for an autonomous dry bulk carrier, that is at least as safe as a manned vessel. As e-Navigation has a strong focus on improving the human element in shipping and MUNIN tends towards an unmanned bridge, a common baseline might look quite contradictory at first, but they share the need to ensure and enhance the safety of navigation. After an introduction into e-Navigation and the MUNIN project, this paper will demonstrate with two examples, how MUNIN's results address identified e-Navigation's gaps and addresses e-Navigation's user needs. Thus, MUNIN contributes to the development and implementation of the prioritized e-Navigation solutions.

Unmanned ships is an interesting proposal to implement slow steaming and saving fuel while avoiding that the crew has to stay on board for very long deep-sea passages. To maintain efficiency and safety, autonomy has to be implemented to enable the ship to operate without requiring the SCC to continuously control the ship. Communication between ship and a shore control center (SCC) is therefore critical for the unmanned ship and proper safety and security precautions are required, including sufficient redundancy and backup solutions. Communication systems should be able to supply at least 4 Megabits/second for full remote control from SCC, but reduced operation can be maintained at down to 125 kilobits/second. In autonomous mode, the required communication bandwidth will be very low. For an autonomous ship the higher bandwidth requirements are from ship to shore which is the opposite of the situation for normal ships. Cost and availability of communication is an issue. The use of technical and functional indexes will enable the SCC to monitor the status of the ship at minimum load on operators and on the communication systems. The security and integrity of information transfers is crucial and appropriate means must be taken to ensure failure tolerance and fail to safe properties of the system

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Maritime shipping operates within a complex operational setting and incorporates many types of workplaces and work roles. The maritime domain has been a bit slower than other complex domains in its research and development of human factors and ergonomics application. The problem remains that the operator is continuously being excluded from the loop, which increases the probability of shipboard errors and accidents. This chapter begins by providing a general introduction to the maritime domain and its unique characteristics and is followed by a section on the information environment on the bridge. The section on the information environment on the bridge highlights the importance of integrating the end user into the bridge system and how technology must provide intuitive information at the right level of complexity at the right time. The main focus of this chapter is then split into two areas of current high significance: fatigue on board and maritime culture (also incorporating safety culture issues). Fatigue on board is of major concern, and most studies indicate that a systems approach must be adopted. This approach should account for aspects such as the number of personnel, trip length, frequency and duration of port visits, and shift planning. Within the area of maritime culture, multiculturalism and the way it is managed on board ships, including shipboard practices, affect safety. In the area of safety culture, three recommendations are central: (a) increase compliance with regulations, (b) implement a safety management system, and (c) implement a behavioral safety system. In general, this review indicates that more data are needed on human-technology-organizational issues in the maritime domain.