Interoperability of Emerging Technologies with Ports in Autonomous Shipping Era

Recently, the discussions on the transformation of maritime into an autonomous structure have been made loudly with the development of autonomous technologies. With the motivation created by the developments in software and sensor technologies, a research trend has been observed that deals with autonomous ships from various aspects. Preliminary research shows that autonomous technologies promise more economical and safer maritime transport with the decrease in crew on board. However, although it is technically possible to float autonomous ships, the efficient integration of ships into maritime transport can be ensured by the readiness of operational components for autonomous systems. This study will examine the interoperability of ports with autonomous ships in terms of the sustainability of maritime transport operations. As a result of this review, it is aimed to determine the possible operational effects of autonomous ships on ports and the problems that may arise in detail. In this context, the study discusses the effective and problematic interaction between autonomous ships and ports, taking into account ship operations in ports. A detailed survey was conducted to reflect the views of experts in maritime transport and port operations (employees in port operations, ship-owner companies, shipbuilding industry, academic community, and related institutions) on autonomous ships and port interaction. The analysis of the feedback obtained from the survey is valuable in that it is one of the first studies to reduce the effects of autonomous ships on port operations and to sustain the operations without any problems. As a result, the outputs of the analysis are expected to assist in the successful implementation of the effort to achieve autonomous ship-port integration.