Traditional maritime law regimes are framed based upon three primary elements, i.e. ship, master and other crewmembers, and shipping company (shipowner, operator and manager). Autonomous ships or Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) as defined and classified by IMO will change these elements. Especially, intelligent network system and other AI technology together with other advanced technology will gradually be applied in ship’s equipment, navigation and operation. The roles crewmembers onboard a ship will be replaced by the shore-based operators generally in the cases of MASS of L2 and completely in the cases of L3. Predictably, these characteristics will pose significant challenges to the legal regimes of contemporary public and private maritime law including but not limited to those pertaining to the crewmembers, carriage of goods or passengers by sea, collisions at sea and marine insurance, in order to be adaptive to the characteristics of autonomous ships. In particular, the scope of ship seaworthiness needs be extended to both hardware and software and shipping company’s obligations to make a ship seaworthy and maintain seaworthiness need be modified especially to ensure the availability and workability of intelligent network systems. The legal functions of the crewmembers will be modified in the cases of MASS of L2 and the legal status of the shore-based operators need be clarified in the cases of MASS of L2 and L3. Where the prevailing regimes or rules of maritime law may be applied to autonomous ships through appropriate interpretation, it is not advisable to establish new regimes or rules.