Should Canada Allow Autonomous Ships in Its Coastal Waters?—International Context and Legal Implications

Autonomous shipping technologies are already being tested on the ocean and are presumably here to stay. This brings a new set of issues into the shipping world currently being discussed by the international community through the International Maritime Organization. The regulatory framework in the works, the Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) Code, is planned to take effect in 2025 and will be non-mandatory at first, which means States will have some time and latitude to adapt to this new reality. This article aims to reflect on how Canada should position itself on the international scene and argues that the challenges and the risks posed by these new technologies are sufficiently high to question the value of their imminent presence in Canadian waters and perhaps a ban should be considered, at least in the short term. Additionally, it is argued that the true beneficiaries of autonomous technologies will be the manufacturers and not shipowners or consumers, as many expect, and adopting regulations banning MASS in a coastal States’ waters would not be detrimental to the shipping industry in the early phases of the development.