No Cover Image

E-Thesis 431 views

The International Legal Framework Applicable to Unmanned Ships: Is It Fit for Purpose? / HAMZA CORUM

Swansea University Author: HAMZA CORUM

  • E-Thesis – open access under embargo until: 2nd May 2030

DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.69486

Abstract

The development of autonomous and remote operation technologies has raised significant questions regarding the sustainability and applicability of the current law of the sea and maritime security law, both of which were originally formulated with conventional ships in mind. Specifically, the presenc...

Full description

Published: Swansea, Wales, UK 2025
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Tettenborn, Andrew ; Kurtz-Shefford, Tabetha
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69486
first_indexed 2025-05-09T13:38:20Z
last_indexed 2025-05-10T08:17:58Z
id cronfa69486
recordtype RisThesis
fullrecord <?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2025-05-09T14:48:26.0437067</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>69486</id><entry>2025-05-09</entry><title>The International Legal Framework Applicable to Unmanned Ships: Is It Fit for Purpose?</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>9f3d39997aae47c6d7f22cbb1389d11d</sid><firstname>HAMZA</firstname><surname>CORUM</surname><name>HAMZA CORUM</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-05-09</date><abstract>The development of autonomous and remote operation technologies has raised significant questions regarding the sustainability and applicability of the current law of the sea and maritime security law, both of which were originally formulated with conventional ships in mind. Specifically, the presence and responsibilities of the master, officers, and crew on ships are emphasised in various international legal instruments, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the International Maritime Organisation&#x2019;s conventions. This prompts an inquiry into whether these legal frameworks can accommodate unmanned operations, and if not, what legal amendments might be necessary to ensure their compliance. This thesis examines the applicability of the law of the sea and maritime security law to unmanned ships, with a focus on potential future legal reforms. The analysis draws on a range of primary legal sources, including customary international law, treaty law, judicial decisions, and general principles of law, alongside secondary sources such as the International Maritime Organisation&#x2019;s guidelines, scholarly books, and articles. The discussions cover the introduction of unmanned ships, their classification under the law of the sea, their navigational rights and freedoms across various maritime zones, and their compliance with maritime safety regulations, rules, and standards. Additionally, the thesis explores the application of maritime security rules, particularly in relation to the use of unmanned ships for committing or suppressing crimes, as well as scenarios where unmanned ships may themselves be victims of unlawful acts. The research concludes that, while the law of the sea is generally capable of recognising unmanned ships as &#x2018;ships&#x2019;, specific amendments to the existing legal framework may be required. In this regard, the International Maritime Organisation is expected to play a central role in shaping future legal standards for unmanned ships.</abstract><type>E-Thesis</type><journal/><volume/><journalNumber/><paginationStart/><paginationEnd/><publisher/><placeOfPublication>Swansea, Wales, UK</placeOfPublication><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint/><issnElectronic/><keywords>Unmanned ships, Law of the sea, Maritime security law, Navigational rights and freedoms</keywords><publishedDay>2</publishedDay><publishedMonth>5</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-05-02</publishedDate><doi>10.23889/SUthesis.69486</doi><url/><notes>ORCiD identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0862-2245</notes><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><supervisor>Tettenborn, Andrew ; Kurtz-Shefford, Tabetha</supervisor><degreelevel>Doctoral</degreelevel><degreename>Ph.D</degreename><degreesponsorsfunders>The Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education</degreesponsorsfunders><apcterm/><funders>The Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2025-05-09T14:48:26.0437067</lastEdited><Created>2025-05-09T14:35:03.2834438</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences</level><level id="2">Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law</level></path><authors><author><firstname>HAMZA</firstname><surname>CORUM</surname><order>1</order></author></authors><documents><document><filename>Under embargo</filename><originalFilename>Under embargo</originalFilename><uploaded>2025-05-09T14:44:04.1125726</uploaded><type>Output</type><contentLength>1836023</contentLength><contentType>application/pdf</contentType><version>E-Thesis &#x2013; open access</version><cronfaStatus>true</cronfaStatus><embargoDate>2030-05-02T00:00:00.0000000</embargoDate><documentNotes>Copyright: The Author, Hamza Corum, 2025. Licensed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-Only (CC-BY) license. Third party content is excluded for use under the license terms.</documentNotes><copyrightCorrect>true</copyrightCorrect><language>eng</language><licence>https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en</licence></document></documents><OutputDurs/></rfc1807>
spelling 2025-05-09T14:48:26.0437067 v2 69486 2025-05-09 The International Legal Framework Applicable to Unmanned Ships: Is It Fit for Purpose? 9f3d39997aae47c6d7f22cbb1389d11d HAMZA CORUM HAMZA CORUM true false 2025-05-09 The development of autonomous and remote operation technologies has raised significant questions regarding the sustainability and applicability of the current law of the sea and maritime security law, both of which were originally formulated with conventional ships in mind. Specifically, the presence and responsibilities of the master, officers, and crew on ships are emphasised in various international legal instruments, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the International Maritime Organisation’s conventions. This prompts an inquiry into whether these legal frameworks can accommodate unmanned operations, and if not, what legal amendments might be necessary to ensure their compliance. This thesis examines the applicability of the law of the sea and maritime security law to unmanned ships, with a focus on potential future legal reforms. The analysis draws on a range of primary legal sources, including customary international law, treaty law, judicial decisions, and general principles of law, alongside secondary sources such as the International Maritime Organisation’s guidelines, scholarly books, and articles. The discussions cover the introduction of unmanned ships, their classification under the law of the sea, their navigational rights and freedoms across various maritime zones, and their compliance with maritime safety regulations, rules, and standards. Additionally, the thesis explores the application of maritime security rules, particularly in relation to the use of unmanned ships for committing or suppressing crimes, as well as scenarios where unmanned ships may themselves be victims of unlawful acts. The research concludes that, while the law of the sea is generally capable of recognising unmanned ships as ‘ships’, specific amendments to the existing legal framework may be required. In this regard, the International Maritime Organisation is expected to play a central role in shaping future legal standards for unmanned ships. E-Thesis Swansea, Wales, UK Unmanned ships, Law of the sea, Maritime security law, Navigational rights and freedoms 2 5 2025 2025-05-02 10.23889/SUthesis.69486 ORCiD identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0862-2245 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Tettenborn, Andrew ; Kurtz-Shefford, Tabetha Doctoral Ph.D The Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education The Republic of Turkey Ministry of National Education 2025-05-09T14:48:26.0437067 2025-05-09T14:35:03.2834438 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law HAMZA CORUM 1 Under embargo Under embargo 2025-05-09T14:44:04.1125726 Output 1836023 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true 2030-05-02T00:00:00.0000000 Copyright: The Author, Hamza Corum, 2025. Licensed under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-Only (CC-BY) license. Third party content is excluded for use under the license terms. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en
title The International Legal Framework Applicable to Unmanned Ships: Is It Fit for Purpose?
spellingShingle The International Legal Framework Applicable to Unmanned Ships: Is It Fit for Purpose?
HAMZA CORUM
title_short The International Legal Framework Applicable to Unmanned Ships: Is It Fit for Purpose?
title_full The International Legal Framework Applicable to Unmanned Ships: Is It Fit for Purpose?
title_fullStr The International Legal Framework Applicable to Unmanned Ships: Is It Fit for Purpose?
title_full_unstemmed The International Legal Framework Applicable to Unmanned Ships: Is It Fit for Purpose?
title_sort The International Legal Framework Applicable to Unmanned Ships: Is It Fit for Purpose?
author_id_str_mv 9f3d39997aae47c6d7f22cbb1389d11d
author_id_fullname_str_mv 9f3d39997aae47c6d7f22cbb1389d11d_***_HAMZA CORUM
author HAMZA CORUM
author2 HAMZA CORUM
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUthesis.69486
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}Hilary Rodham Clinton School of Law
document_store_str 0
active_str 0
description The development of autonomous and remote operation technologies has raised significant questions regarding the sustainability and applicability of the current law of the sea and maritime security law, both of which were originally formulated with conventional ships in mind. Specifically, the presence and responsibilities of the master, officers, and crew on ships are emphasised in various international legal instruments, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the International Maritime Organisation’s conventions. This prompts an inquiry into whether these legal frameworks can accommodate unmanned operations, and if not, what legal amendments might be necessary to ensure their compliance. This thesis examines the applicability of the law of the sea and maritime security law to unmanned ships, with a focus on potential future legal reforms. The analysis draws on a range of primary legal sources, including customary international law, treaty law, judicial decisions, and general principles of law, alongside secondary sources such as the International Maritime Organisation’s guidelines, scholarly books, and articles. The discussions cover the introduction of unmanned ships, their classification under the law of the sea, their navigational rights and freedoms across various maritime zones, and their compliance with maritime safety regulations, rules, and standards. Additionally, the thesis explores the application of maritime security rules, particularly in relation to the use of unmanned ships for committing or suppressing crimes, as well as scenarios where unmanned ships may themselves be victims of unlawful acts. The research concludes that, while the law of the sea is generally capable of recognising unmanned ships as ‘ships’, specific amendments to the existing legal framework may be required. In this regard, the International Maritime Organisation is expected to play a central role in shaping future legal standards for unmanned ships.
published_date 2025-05-02T05:24:48Z
_version_ 1851550637190283264
score 11.090071

Similar Items