Saudi Arabia has announced plans to launch autonomous ships by the end of 2027, with technical and regulatory tests nearing completion, as part of the kingdom's efforts to advance smart transportation technologies in the maritime sector. Fawaz Al-Sahli, head of
the General Authority for Transport in Saudi Arabia, stated at the Saudi Maritime and Logistics Conference in Jeddah that the project began in 2025 in collaboration with specialized entities in ship manufacturing, classification, and autonomous driving technology testing. Al-Sahli confirmed
that the project has reached its final stages, anticipating the launch of autonomous ships by the end of next year, without disclosing details about participating companies, ship types, or operational scope. He also noted that trials of autonomous vehicles on
roads have moved from regulatory testing to actual operation, expecting their wider adoption on the kingdom's streets in the near future. Saudi Arabia had initiated the pilot phase for autonomous vehicles in Riyadh in July 2025, followed by amendments to
the traffic system's executive regulations in June 2026 to regulate these vehicles' movement and enable autonomous driving decisions.
