Industrial revolutions and transition of the maritime industry: The case of Seafarer’s role in autonomous shipping

Digital transformation and automation in the shipping industry is resulting disruptive changes to ship design, operations, and manning that aim to enhance safety, efficiency, and the environmental sustainability of maritime logistics. While there is growing research interest in these areas, examining the role of human element in the new smart shipping context is largely neglected. Through a systematic literature review, this paper aims to explore the multi-dimensional impact of autonomous shipping technology resulting from the application of Industry 4.0 and future industrial revolutions on seafarers. The impacts include the changing role of seafarers on-board and the strategies required to engage seafarers in their transition from traditional shipping to autonomous and smart shipping. The paper concludes that Industry 4.0 is being challenged for its shortfall in recognition of the importance of human role and its intelligence in the expected current industrial revolution. As a result, there is a demand to look further and beyond Industry 4.0 by introducing the next generation of industrial revolution, namely Industry 5.0. This paper suggests that the impact of this revolution in the maritime industry can be defined by concepts such as Maritime 5.0, Shipping 5.0, Seafarer 5.0, Maritime Education and Training 5.0 (MET 5.0).