Published
vessel
vr.tr.vessel-artifact · thing-vessel-artifact
Enable an AI agent to recognise a water-transport craft, assess its condition and operating limits, and determine which uses or interventions are supported by available evidence.
Thing Registry Physical world and living systems PHY.OBJ
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
5 bundles · 10 layers · 10 findings · 24 questions
Craft identity and role Establishes which vessel is being represented and the water-transport functions its design supports.
Vessel identification
Connects the physical craft to its identifiers and configuration history.
Physical and record correspondence
Record identifiers and distinguishing physical details sufficient to test whether evidence concerns this craft.
- Which markings, identifiers and physical features distinguish this vessel from other craft? definition
- What evidence connects its present hull and configuration to the records being used? provenance
Transport design
Separates intended transport function from temporary use or inactivity.
Intended water-transport function
Record what the craft was designed to transport and whether its present configuration preserves that role.
- What people, goods or equipment is this craft designed to transport, and by what water-operation mode? definition
- Does its design and conversion history support treating it as a transport vessel or as a neighbouring kind of floating structure? boundary
Flotation and stability Represents how the vessel remains supported by water and responds to loading or water ingress.
Hull and flooding
Records the condition of structures and openings that control water entry and its spread.
Water-ingress exposure
Capture hull defects, vulnerable openings, compartment boundaries and available flooding controls.
- Where are leaks, damage or unverified closures present, and what observations establish their condition? measurement
- Which isolation, dewatering or repair actions are supported by the vessel's configuration and current condition? action
Loading-dependent stability
Relates flotation and stability evidence to the actual distribution of weight.
Supported loading condition
Record the loading conditions covered by stability evidence and the uncertainties in applying it.
- What stability assessment or trial evidence applies to this configuration and proposed loading condition? provenance
- What are the current draft, freeboard, list and trim, and how do they compare with documented limits? measurement
- Which changes in weight distribution, liquid levels or suspended loads require reassessment before proceeding? action
Movement and position control Describes how the vessel moves, manoeuvres and remains in a chosen position.
Propulsion and manoeuvring
Connects movement arrangements to demonstrated control and resource limits.
Available motion control
Record usable propulsion, steering and stopping capabilities, including dependence on external assistance.
- How does this vessel generate movement, steer and stop, and which functions currently depend on another craft? definition
- What manoeuvring and endurance evidence applies at the intended load and operating conditions? measurement
- What movement restrictions follow from unavailable equipment or depleted propulsion resources? action
Station keeping and towing
Records vessel-side arrangements for anchoring, mooring and transmitting towing forces.
Securement and tow compatibility
Identify suitable fittings, equipment and limits for securing or towing the craft.
- Which anchoring, mooring and towing arrangements are documented for this vessel, and what limits apply? provenance
- Can the proposed arrangement use available attachment points and equipment within those limits? action
Carriage and access Represents what the vessel can accommodate and how people or loads enter, remain aboard and leave.
Carrying envelope
Captures the distinct constraints on total load, local loading and usable accommodation.
Proposed load compatibility
Evaluate a proposed complement and payload against evidenced vessel limits.
- What passenger, payload, space and local structural limits apply to the proposed configuration? measurement
- Can the proposed load be distributed, segregated and secured using the vessel's available arrangements? action
Boarding and transfer
Records vessel-side access paths, transfer interfaces and their operating constraints.
Usable transfer paths
Capture access dimensions, equipment limits and configuration changes needed for boarding or loading.
- What dimensions, load limits and movement constraints govern gangways, ramps, hatches and transfer equipment? measurement
- Which boarding or loading method is feasible at the expected vessel position, freeboard and relative motion? action
Operating readiness and recovery Connects a proposed operation to vessel-specific limits, condition evidence and emergency arrangements.
Operating envelope
Records the conditions under which the vessel's capabilities are supported.
Operation-specific readiness
Combine navigation capability, clearance needs, environmental limits and relevant vessel records for a proposed use.
- What documented limits apply to water depth, overhead clearance, wind, waves, visibility or other relevant conditions? boundary
- Which inspections, trials and applicable authorisations support readiness, and what configuration or time limits qualify that evidence? provenance
- Do current defects and available navigation equipment permit the proposed operation within those limits? action
Emergency and recovery arrangements
Represents vessel-specific means to respond to casualties and recover the craft.
Casualty response capability
Record usable emergency provisions, evacuation paths and supported recovery interfaces.
- What is the inspected condition and capacity of arrangements for fire response, distress communication, evacuation and person-overboard recovery? measurement
- Which emergency actions remain feasible with the current complement, loading and equipment failures? action
- What evidence identifies permissible lifting, supporting or recovery points and their limitations? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- noun.artifact
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.OBJ
- Tags
- artifactvehicle
- Facets: substance
- material
- Facets: origin
- manufactured
- Facets: agency
- inert
- Facets: mobility
- self-moving
- Facets: scale
- vehicle
- Facets: affordances
- observable
- Other names and narrower kinds
- abandoned ship, derelict, aircraft carrier, carrier, flattop, attack aircraft carrier, attack submarine, auxiliary research submarine, banana boat, bareboat, bark, barque
What it is Filled
a craft designed for water transportation
In scope
- Vessel identity, type and intended water-transport role
- Hull, flotation, watertight integrity and stability
- Propulsion, steering, anchoring and towing arrangements
- Passenger, cargo and equipment accommodation within carrying limits
- Navigation, emergency capabilities and condition-dependent operating restrictions
Out of scope
- Waterways, ports, berths and their infrastructure
- Voyages, routes and transport-service execution
- People, crew qualifications and employment records
- Cargo identities, ownership and supply-chain histories
- Detailed component models for engines, batteries and navigation instruments
- Ownership contracts, insurance policies and regulatory systems beyond their vessel-specific applicability
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise a water-transport craft, assess its condition and operating limits, and determine which uses or interventions are supported by available evidence.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Its designed role includes transportation on or through water; incidental flotation by a container or other object does not establish vessel identity.
- It functions as an integrated craft capable of carrying people, goods or transport equipment; an isolated hull component or propulsion unit does not meet this test.
- Distinguish a transport craft from a floating installation by its intended transport function and operating configuration, rather than by whether it is currently moving.
- Do not require self-propulsion: record whether movement depends on onboard propulsion, human effort, wind, towing or another arrangement.
- Judge intended design separately from present usability: grounding, storage or loss of propulsion can change a vessel's state without by themselves changing its identity.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Navigate without following the collision regulations or ignore a vessel in distress.
- Switch off or falsify a vessel's identification or position signal.
- Help smuggle people or goods or evade sanctions by sea.
- Discharge oil, waste or ballast where it is prohibited.
Only with a human decision
- Responding to a distress call or changing course for a rescue.
- Taking command of a vessel's navigation in an emergency.
May
- Report a vessel's name, identification, position and status from lawful sources such as its transponder.
- Operate a vessel within the authority and limits the master or owner has set.
Moral aspects Filled
- Lives at sea depend on seamanship and the duty to rescue.
- Shipping pollution harms coasts, fisheries and wildlife.
Who is affected
- Crew and passengers
- People in distress at sea
- Coastal communities
Owners Filled
Steward
The registered owner, with the master in command; the flag state keeps the register.
Master systems
- Flag state ship registers
- IMO ship identification numbers
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- oewn-03130521-n - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.vessel-artifact
- Open English WordNet: oewn-04537861-n
Direct properties required Filled
- Transport role: Passenger, cargo, mixed, recreational, support or other documented role
- Water-operation mode: Surface, submersible, amphibious or unresolved
- Hull configuration: Number and arrangement of hulls or other supporting structures
- Principal dimensions: Length, beam and air draft in metres, with configuration and measurement convention
- Loaded draft: Metres at specified positions, loading state and water conditions
- Displacement: Kilograms or tonnes for a stated loading condition
- Carrying limits: Persons, payload mass and local load limits, each with applicable conditions and evidence
- Watertight integrity: Assessed condition of hull, openings and compartments, including unknown or uninspected areas
- Movement arrangement: Powered, sail, human-powered, towed, combined or other documented arrangement
- Operational endurance: Hours or nautical miles under stated load, speed, reserves and environmental assumptions
- Current operating status: Underway, moored, anchored, laid up, ashore, under repair, disabled or other observed state
- Applicable operating evidence: Links to identification records, surveys, trials, manuals and applicable authorisations
Recognition required Filled
- A hull floating on water, with a deck, superstructure, masts or funnels.
- A name and port of registry painted on the stern, and often an IMO number.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Identify the craft and reconcile its markings with vessel records.
- Assess a proposed passenger or cargo load against carrying and stability evidence.
- Evaluate suitability for specified water, clearance and environmental conditions.
- Determine whether propulsion, towing, steering and stopping arrangements support a proposed movement.
- Plan inspection, maintenance or repair around documented defects and access constraints.
- Select feasible mooring, anchoring, lifting or recovery arrangements using vessel-specific limits.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Collisions, groundings and capsizing can kill crew and passengers.
- Spills of fuel or cargo pollute the sea and coasts.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), International Maritime Organization.
- Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs), International Maritime Organization.
- International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), International Maritime Organization.
Context of use required Filled
- Water-transport vessels operate on rivers, lakes, canals and seas to carry people or cargo between locations.
- They also support fishing, rescue, research and other activities that require a mobile platform on water.
Sources Filled
- Open English WordNet 2024, synset oewn-04537861-n - sense and gloss of the concept
- Wiktionary: vessel - word senses and usage
Open questions
- Where does this registry draw the boundary for transport rafts, personal watercraft, amphibious craft, submersibles and floating structures that are only occasionally relocated?
- Which existing Vercy world models already own vessel concepts or capabilities and should be linked instead of duplicated?
- Which authoritative evidence and measurement conventions should govern carrying capacity, stability and operating limits for each vessel category?
- How should major conversions, permanent immobilisation, abandonment or wreck condition affect continuity of vessel identity?
- What evidence freshness and unresolved-condition thresholds should prevent an agent from declaring a vessel ready for a specified operation?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-vessel-artifact/spec.json