A framework for description of autonomous ship systems and operations

The Concept of Operations, or ConOps, has become a central document for the specification, design and approval of autonomous ship systems and operations in the absence of prescriptive rules and regulations. The flexible structure of the ConOps and the fact that it is written in prose text makes it very accessible for all involved stakeholders, but also prone to discrepancies between the descriptions and the actual design. This paper proposes a description framework, for autonomous ship systems and operations, that covers the information items requested through the ConOps. The proposed framework has the potential to facilitate development of a formalized ConOps, which in turn could lead to a standardization of the current approval procedures for autonomous ship systems and operations.