Safety and circularity

ECMAR finds that the following two main aspects should be taken into account when considering the future of maritime applied research:

• unprecedented availability of operational data, and the ability to harness the relevant data or to generate them in reliable simulation environments;
• generally lower risk acceptance on the societal level, which hinders large scale deployment of autonomous ships and alternative fuels.

The risk perception and acceptance are complex phenomena, conditioned by var ious historical processes, and dependent on a range of factors. Nevertheless, a low risk tolerance on the societal level may negatively affect the position of regula tory bodies towards introduction of novel technologies which are not (fully) con sidered by the present regulatory framework.

The lack of sufficient operational experience (which typically forms the basis of safety regulations) could be alleviated and the acceptance of innovations in ship de sign and operation could be consequently accelerated, if the use is made of the abil ity to reliably simulate ship operations involving such innovative technologies throughout the ship life cycle. The simulations can be validated by experiments as well as with the data collected through pilot projects and demonstrators, or by experiences obtained in dedicated simulators