Since the beginning of maritime navigation, sailors have been sharing the stories about the ghost ships crossing the seas without any crew present onboard. The legends about phantom ships were reflected in the traditional sailors' songs, tales, and nowadays successful Hollywood productions. Probably, the most famous unmanned vessel in history was the legendary Flying Dutchman, which inspired numerous writers and movie directors. Currently, intensive technological progress may allow the literary fiction of crewless ghost ships very soon to turn into reality. Yara Birkeland will forever change the history of the shipping industry and the legal order prevailing at sea.
The project's acronym "P-ADMIRAL" (Autonomous and Unmanned Vessels in International Law) simply means "Project Admiral". The acronym not only represents an abbreviated name for this project: it describes the outmost fascinating paradox that may occur in the history of navigation. An admiral, in maritime terminology, has been regarded as the most senior commander officer of a fleet or a navy. In the case of autonomous and unmanned vessels, it may very well be that for the first time in history the admiral is the ship herself.
