Legal Issues of Liability for Damages related to the Operation of Autonomous Vessels .

The paper examines the issues of liability in the operation of maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS). Cases of liability based on an event without the need to determine fault, as well as cases of liability based on fault, are considered. Since human involvement in the management of the MASS is significantly limited or absent, it is complicated to determine fault in the event of a marine incident resulting in damage. New subjects, compared to a classic vessel, are included in the decision-making process for vessel management, which requires rethinking of the concept of legal regulation of liability for damage arising in connection with the operation of the MASS. Various scenarios are analyzed, from «change nothing» to «sole responsibility of a MASS», and a conclusion is made about the most acceptable scenario - joint and several liability of the ship owner, developers of technical equipment and software for autonomous navigation systems, as well as the organization that manages the autonomous vessel.

1. Anisimova M. V. Osobennosti grazhdansko-pravovogo regulirovaniya kachestva produktsii // Aktualnye problemy rossiyskogo chastnogo prava: materialy Vserossiyskoy nauchno-prakticheskoy konferentsii, Saransk, 24 iyunya 2016 g. - Saransk, 2016. - S. 12-15.

2. Butakova N. A. Ponyatie obstoyatelstv, ogranichivayushchikh otvetstvennost sudovladeltsev // Aktualnye problemy prava. - 2022. - № 9. - S. 18-26.

3. Klyuev V. V. Obektivnye predposylki poyavleniya avtonomnykh nadvodnykh sudov i pravovoy osnovy ikh ekspluatatsii // Problemy Rossiyskogo zakonodatelstva. Obrazovanie i pravo. - 2024. - № 1. - S. 426–435.

4. Klyuev V. V. [i dr.]. Uchastie Rossiyskoy Federatsii v razrabotke mezhdunarodnykh pravovykh instrumentov v oblasti avtonomnogo sudokhodstva // Transportnoe pravo i bezopasnost. - 2024. - № 1S.

5.