Autonomous ship technology is a transformative force in the maritime industry, poised to revolutionise maritime operations. With growing interest in this field, the number of scientific publications on autonomous shipping has surged in recent years. This study provides a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the literature on autonomous ship technologies to assist researchers in understanding current trends and future directions. Using data from 2,015 articles indexed in the Web of Science, we applied Bibliometrix (R-based) and VOSviewer software for the analysis. The results reveal a sharp increase in research activity on autonomous shipping technologies, particularly in the late 2010s, with most studies originating from researchers in the Far East and Europe. Key trending topics, such as 'collision avoidance' and 'trajectory tracking', were identified through content analysis. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for researchers and stakeholders, helping them navigate the rapidly evolving field of autonomous shipping technology.