Sponsored By

UK updates its industry Code of Practice for autonomous vesselsUK updates its industry Code of Practice for autonomous vessels

Reacting to what it calls “the fast pace of change” in the area of autonomous vessel, the UK has issued an updated version of its industry Code of Practice for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), giving greater guidance on skills, training and vessel registration.

Bob Jaques, Former Editor

November 14, 2018

1 Min Read
Kalyakan - stock.adobe.com

The first version of the UK Industry Code of Practice focused mainly on the design, construction and operation of autonomous maritime systems, and was published by the UK Maritime Autonomous Systems Regulatory Working Group (MASRWG) in November 2017.

While not a legal text, the original Code has been well-received by companies and organisations around the world, says MASWRG, with some manufacturers reporting that compliance has become a requirement in contractual negotiations.

The new version adds further guidance on the operation of autonomous vessels, it adds, with particular focus on skills, training and vessel registration.

Read more: Wärtsilä in autonomous 'IntelliTug' project with MPA and PSA Marine as it launches Acceleration Centre

“The whole industry is moving at a very fast speed and it's really important that there are guidelines available to underpin that development in a safe, efficient and sustainable way,” said James Fanshawe, chair of MASRWG.

“The UK is a well-established leader in smaller autonomous vessels,” added Dan Hook, senior director - business development at L3 ASV, a manufacturer of unmanned surface vessels. “When companies like ours start to look toward scaling that technology though to larger ships, this Code of Practice will be hugely valuable.”

Read more about:

autonomous ships

About the Author

Bob Jaques

Former Editor

Bob Jaques is a former editor of Seatrade Maritime Review magazine and has over 20 years of experience as a maritime journalist and moderator of shipping conferences.

Bob is an English literature graduate from the University of York with a postgraduate Diploma in Management Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London. He worked as an aerospace and media journalist in Geneva before joining Seatrade in the 1990s.

Bob is a past winner of the Seahorse ‘Journalist of the Year’ and ‘Best Feature Article’ Awards.

Get the latest maritime news, analysis and more delivered to your inbox
Join 12,000+ members of the maritime community

You May Also Like