COLREGs update, testing and public acceptance key to boosting unmanned maritime systems

February 28, 2020 | AUVSI News

For unmanned maritime systems (UMS) to reach their full potential, COLREGs, the set of regulations that provide the “rules of the road” for vessels to prevent collisions, need to be updated to include the innovative waterborne technologies.

“COLREGs for us is really the biggest issue. We need to have UMS put into COLREGs,” said Mike Smitsky, AUVSI’s senior manager of advocacy and government relations who manages and staffs the AUVSI UMS Advocacy Committee.

Smitsky led a discussion on the importance of UMS during a meeting of the Committee on Coast Guard Maritime Domain Awareness, which includes Committee Chair Heidi C. Perry, RADM Thomas J. Eccles (NAE), the Chief Executive Officer of Trident Maritime Systems, LLC., VADM Fred M. Midgette, who retired from the U.S. Coast Guard in 2018 after serving as Commander of the Pacific Area, and Sean T. Pribyl, a lawyer and Senior Claims Executive with Gard AS P&I Club in Arendal, Norway.

Like many defense and security government agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard stands to benefit from the use of UMS. However, there’s a general lack of awareness about the technology among Coast Guard officials and the members of Congress who serve on committees with oversight of the Coast Guard’s operations. Though Smitsky said once they are made aware of the immense amount of solutions that exist, the sky, or the sea, is the limit.

“It doesn’t take a lot for folks on the Hill to get excited about these new technologies. They’re interested in new approaches for the Coast Guard to support its mission of ensuring the nation’s maritime safety and security and stewardship, and they want to figure out ways to integrate these systems,” Smitsky said.

The AUVSI UMS Advocacy Committee plays an active role in informing Congress, as well as influencing legislation, so that these systems can one day be used on a regular basis to achieve the committee’s ultimate goal of UMS serving the Coast Guard.

“We want to work with the Coast Guard and regulatory bodies to ensure that rules such as COLREGS are in place, so that way when the technology is ready and the public accepts it, we can move forward,” Smitsky said.

To get a vessel to a point where it is ready for operation, it first must undergo thorough testing. Unlike unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) technology, which is tested and validated at seven UAS Test Sites, there are few existing testing sites or ranges for UMS. A potential solution is to establish preapproved sites and ranges.

When UMS organizations test their technology, they often must go through an extensive waiver process, which involves presenting use cases to get permission from the captain of a port at the sector. If the operations fit into the port’s safety parameters, then organizations can begin testing.

Smitsky said the AUVSI UMS Advocacy Committee plans to collaborate with organizations that have been testing vessels on a regular basis to determine how to expedite the waiver process.

Testing and validation are necessary steps to integrating UMS into the Coast Guard fleet to support its public safety missions. Smitsky said demonstrating the benefits of UMS will lead to greater public acceptance of the technology and increased use by the Coast Guard and other maritime agencies.

“Proof of concept is really the linchpin to wider use of UMS,” Smitsky said. “It’s critical to show how these solutions will be deployed in a safe manner to increase their adoption and enhance service to the users of our nation’s waterways.”