Safety Analysis of Human Machine Interactions in Remotely Operated Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships

Commercial deployment of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) is on the verge of becoming reality. Remote control centres (RCC) are developed, which however involve human operators to monitor and control MASS operations. Human-Machine Interactions (HMI) impact the MASS safety and robust decision-making, whereas technologies advancement along with emergencies, such as connectivity loss, human errors, and algorithm failures, cause additional. The study aims at developing systematic method for HMI mapping and appraisal combining the Systematic Theory Process Analysis (STPA) with Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE), targeting to minimise human error and risks in remote operations. A reference system that consists of human operators, interfaces, autonomous sub-systems and navigation system is analysed considering the case study of a remotely controlled vessel supervised by the RCC operator. The results reveal potential safety issues due to faults or errors and their causes. For instance, human error caused by distraction and inadequate training lead to ineffective decision making. This study establishes the foundation for developing human-informed design solutions, and robust remote operating systems for future RCC for autonomous ships, ensuring seamless and efficient interactions between humans and machines.

Keywords: Maritime autonomous surface ships, Remote control centre, Human machine interactions, Safety analysis, Systematic theory process analysis, Model-based system engineering.