Autonomous ships, stranded seafarers top IMO’s MSC 111 agenda

IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee is meeting in London, UK, this week to to approve the non-mandatory code to regulate autonomous ships.

The committee is meeting from 13 May to 22 May to debate and approve several safety and security regulations and amendments to existing legislation at its 111th session.

MSC 111 is also working to reduce risk of shipping to piracy and armed robbery and is developing a safety regulatory framework for alternative fuels.

During the week-long meeting, MSC 111 is expected to adoption the non-mandatory segmnent of IMO’s code for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) to regulate vessels with little to no human crew on board.

This should further enable development, testing and trialling of semi-autonomous and uncrewed ships under international legislation.

In opening the session, IMO secretary general, Arsenio Dominguez, highlighted the importance of this regulatory framework and the milestone of its adoption.

“A particularly important opportunity this week is the advancement of work towards finalising the MASS code,” said Mr Dominguez.

“Finalising this code would be a strong and concrete illustration of moving from policy to practice.”

IMO’s main focus in this area of technology advancements is ensuring the safety of autonomous vessels and other ships they interact with or pass in adjacent waters to minimise risk of incidents, while facilitating testing of these automation innovations.

“Progress on this code represents a significant milestone for the organisation,” said Mr Dominguez.

“It demonstrates IMO’s ability to anticipate technological developments and to provide a clear, global and safety-driven regulatory framework, ensuring innovation is introduced responsibly and without compromising safety, accountability or the critical role of the human element.”