Marine Engineering in Digital Age: Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes for Autonomous Ships Towards Developing an Enhancement Plan for BS Marine Engineering

The maritime industry is anticipated to undergo a dramatic transformation with the development of autonomous ships, which will increase efficiency, reduce human error, and change crew requirements. As a result, the curriculums of maritime schools need to be updated to incorporate cybersecurity, AI, automation, and remote operations. The competences required to handle autonomous systems will be developed by cadets with the aid of multidisciplinary instruction and sophisticated simulations. Aligning education with future demands also requires cooperation with industry and regulatory agencies.

This descriptive-correlational study determined the necessary skills for shore-based positions and evaluated the instructors' and students' understanding of autonomous ship operations in the field of marine engineering. In addition, it looked at how engineers, instructors, and students generally felt about ship automation and investigated the connections between attitudes, knowledge, and skills, including contrasting students who received onboard instruction with those who did not. The study also looked into the steps shipping companies took to get crew and engine officers ready for the move to autonomy.

The findings demonstrated that both teachers and students possessed a high level of expertise and proficiency in managing autonomous systems. Though cautious, attitudes toward automation were mainly positive. It was underlined how crucial onboard training is to students' preparation. An enhancement plan was made to strengthen the curriculum of BS Marine Engineering in preparation for students to operate autonomous ships.