Abstract
Autonomous inland navigation (AIN) is a promising innovation that has the potential to be much safer, more environment-friendly and more efficient than conventional vessels. Past and current projects test AIN technology in real environments. However, apart from experimental legislation, the present law regulating the inland waterway transport sector is lagging behind such innovations. This creates legal barriers to the further development of the sector, which impacts its competitiveness compared to other modes of transport. An important reason for this is the complex regulatory and institutional structure in European inland waterway, resulting in less unified rules compared to maritime transport. Furthermore, previous research on regulatory obstacles is highly fragmented and limited in scope.
The objective of this research project is to elaborate a regulatory framework for AIN whilst upholding existing policy goals that fosters a harmonised approach to the regulation of autonomous inland shipping in Europe. To achieve this objective, the research project has been divided into different work packages (WPs):
WP 1 focuses on analysing the regulatory framework and obstacles related to autonomous inland ships. Using classical legal research methods and literature reviews, the regulations identified that hinder the implementation of autonomous inland ships, and the rules contained therein were analysed to identify common gaps and themes. In WP 2, regulatory solutions to the identified obstacles were examined by conducting a comparative research analysis of regulatory instruments for other transport modes. These regulatory solutions will be further discussed in WP 3, considering the multi-levelled governance structure in European inland waterways to determine their suitability for autonomous inland ships. Finally, WP 4 will involve evaluating and validating the proposed regulatory framework through stakeholder consultation.
Based on these outcomes, the existing regulatory framework will be adjusted to no longer hinder the implementation of AIN. The research findings are expected to be of high interest to anyone working or conducting research in the field of regulating autonomous transport modes.
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