An initial report from the STEER Project warns that advances in shipboard technology will deliver safety, efficiency and better life at sea only if systems are designed, introduced and supported with seafarer experience at their core.
Sources indicated on 4 November 2026 that The Nautical Institute, in collaboration with Lloyd’s Register Foundation, has published The evidence, the gaps and the way forward, the STEER Project’s first report into how seafarer experience shapes maritime technology.
The report’s opening finding is straightforward: technology can improve safety, efficiency and life at sea, but its benefits depend heavily on the way systems are designed, introduced, supported and used.
That conditional claim places human factors at the centre of technological change, with implications for ship designers, equipment manufacturers, operators and training organisations, the report says.
Design and adoption
The STEER Project highlights that design choices made ashore reach seafarers as operational realities at sea, and that those realities determine whether technology is an enabler or an added burden. The initial report calls for closer engagement with seafarers during development and more attention to the contexts in which tools will be deployed.
Gaps and the way forward
The Nautical Institute and Lloyd’s Register Foundation set out gaps in current knowledge that the STEER Project will seek to address, including how technologies interact with workload, procedures and on-board support systems. The report frames next steps around evidence gathering, identifying where further study and practical trials are needed to understand real-world outcomes.
For shipowners and managers the message is practical: investment in new systems must be matched by investment in training, change management and ongoing support if intended safety and efficiency gains are to be realised. Equipment suppliers are likewise urged to consider usability, maintainability and the shipboard operating environment when bringing products to market.
The STEER Project’s initial publication is presented as the start of an evidence-based programme rather than a conclusive set of rules. The Nautical Institute and Lloyd’s Register Foundation intend the work to inform industry choices and to focus attention on the human factors that shape whether maritime technologies succeed or fail.