Abstract
The development and introduction of a Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) are some of the most important changes leading to the fourth industrial era in the maritime area. The term 'MASS' refers to a ship operating independently, without human intervention, to reduce maritime accidents caused by human errors. Recent UK findings MASS also noted that particularly the dynamic positioning system will be considered to apply as newly function to a MASS. The DP system, a ship system developed decades ago and used for specific purposes like offshore operations, provides various functions to facilitate the accurate movements of the vessel, and operators can make decisions within the DP system, in addition to the ordinary ship system. In this paper, it would like to present the connection and application method with the main technical elements of the DP system in connection with the main technology of the DP system to achieve the safe operation of a MASS. In particular, among various position reference systems, the capability plot function of DP system, and the "follow target" mode in the operation mode are attractive functions that can contribute to the safe operation of autonomous ships.