DRONING IN THE SEA: A LOOK INTO THE USE OF COMMERCIAL AUTONOMOUS VESSELS AND INTERNATIONAL TRANSPORT UNDER CHINESE MARITIME LAW

A new technical age is on the horizon for the maritime community. Within the next year, crewless vessels, save for the shore-based controllers operating from afar, will emerge from production plans. Fully autonomous vessels run solely on Artificial Intelligence is not so far in the distance, with projections seeing them in the next decade. China is at the forefront of this new world of development and will maintain control of the sea through this leap in nautical advancement. However, considerations for how these commercial vessels will operate the waters of Chinese maritime and international law need to be brought to the spotlight. This paper aims to explore the areas of Chinese maritime law that have greatest chance of being affected by the use autonomous vessels and seeks to analyze whether use of autonomous vessels conforms to the current laws or if new regulation is needed.