Autonomous Vessels: The Mayflower 400 and minimizing risk to improve technology

The objective of the Mayflower 400 (MAS400) project was to demonstrate that autonomous vessels can operate safely in the open ocean and arrive at a predetermined port. The proposed journey for the MAS400 was to cross the Atlantic Ocean from Plymouth, England to Provincetown, Massachusetts, and then shortly thereafter transit to Plymouth, Massachusetts, with later port calls along the eastern seaboard. As a regulatory agency, the U.S. Coast Guard must ensure compliance with its maritime laws, regulations, and policy and has limited ability for exemptions and equivalencies, depending on the situation. The Coast Guard worked with owners of the vessel to create an operations order (OpOrder) to ensure consistency of regulations, safe procedures, and tactical controls for the journey. This brought together all the stakeholders under one umbrella and helped to create good information flow. On June 15, 2021, the MAS400 left Plymouth, England, for Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, three days into the voyage, an exhaust leak started in the generator, filling the vessel’s hull. The owners decided to direct the vessel to return to home for repairs and attempt the crossing in 2022. Though the MAS400 has yet to complete the Atlantic crossing, the Coast Guard has proven through its OpOrder and District 1/District 5 working group that it can work with industry to find ways to accept this new technology.

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  • English

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  • Accession Number: 01852735
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Jul 22 2022 5:07PM