Abstract

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) is reshaping the maritime sector, demanding a reassessment of the skills and competences needed for future maritime workforce. This study explores the changing skill requirements for operating MASS and addresses the gap between current maritime education and industry needs. The research is divided into two parts. Part 1 uses a bibliometric analysis and a systematic literature review to explore the key skills needed for MASS. Based on 53 papers, the bibliometric analysis reveals a growing interest in MASS skills research between 2017 and 2023, with Norway taking the lead in terms of research output and impact. The systematic review identifies four main components: Technical & Digital competence, Operational & Managerial competence, Higher-Order Thinking Skills, and Interpersonal skills; each including specific skills. These results indicate a shift occurring in maritime education and training as it now emphasizes integrating traditional seafaring skills with emerging ones like automation, digitalization and human-machine interaction. Part 2 evaluates the identified skills using the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method. To do so, a survey with 84 maritime experts was conducted in which four criteria were considered: regulatory compliance, ease of integration and training, training feasibility, and ease of assessment. Based on the TOPSIS analysis, 'Maritime Competence', 'Operational Skills', and 'Communication & Collaboration' emerged as the top three ranked skills. This study highlights both traditional maritime competence and soft skills as important elements in operating MASS. The results offer insights for adapting education and training programmes in line with future demands of the maritime industry as it evolves.

Keywords

Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), Maritime Education and Training (MET), bibliometric analysis

References

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