The article explores the transformation of the international legal status of the shipmaster in the context of maritime transport automation. It analyses the implications of the deployment of autonomous ships for the traditional institution of the shipmaster, considering that such vessels operate without the physical presence of a human on board during navigation and are controlled by remote operators from shore-based control centers. It is noted that the key international maritime law instruments governing the status of the shipmaster – namely, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS), the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (SOLAS), and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, 1978 (STCW) – proceed from the presumption of the shipmaster’s physical presence on board. The shipmaster’s legal status is traditionally based on a combination of managerial, administrative, and representative functions. Consequently, legal inconsistencies arise when applying this conventional regulatory framework to autonomous vessels, where many functions of the shipmaster are delegated to remote operators. It is established that the qualification of a remote operator of an autonomous ship as a «shipmaster» depends on the degree of the vessel’s automation and the operator’s possession of appropriate professional training, which must encompass both traditional navigational competencies and new digital skills – such as remote vessel control, interaction with autonomous systems, and time-sensitive decision-making in remote contexts. The article concludes that certain functions of the shipmaster – particularly representative and notarial duties – cannot be effectively executed by a remote operator, thus calling for a reconsideration of the traditional legal model of the shipmaster. Meanwhile, the definition of the remote operator’s legal personality, liability, and status in the event of maritime casualties remains legally uncertain. This necessitates the modernization of the international legal framework to address technological developments, including the potential development of an IMO Code for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships, with its subsequent incorporation into the SOLAS Convention.
V. S. Veremchuk (Tue,) studied this question.