In this IIL marine & energy lecture Edward Fort will talk about the technical issues associated with the move towards autonomous ships that the insurance industry should be aware of.

The world around us is set to become autonomous. What do we mean by autonomy and what does this mean for shipping both in the near future and in the longer term. The design of modern ship’s with their complex, highly integrated, software controlled systems still assumes the presence of a crew on board capable of assuming control in the event of the unexpected and perhaps surprisingly much of the expected. While autonomy represents a solution to a number of major challenges the industry is facing, unsurprisingly it also brings several challenges of its own.

By the end of this lecture members would have gained an insight into:

• Understanding what autonomy means for ships and shipping
• Understanding what new risks autonomy will introduce
• Appreciating potential benefits that autonomy may provide

Speaker Bio: 
Edward Fort is currently Global Head of Engineering, Marine & Offshore at Lloyd’s Register. He has a wide ranging engineering experience including research and development, design and construction, product assurance and operation and maintenance in sectors as diverse as marine and aerospace. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology.

Chair:
Peter Townsend, Head of Marine, AmTrust.