IMO Guidelines on MASS Trials: interim observations

At its 101st meeting in June 2019, the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization approved Interim Guidelines for Trials of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). This is the first instrument of any kind the IMO has produced pertaining specifically to the use of MASS.1

In June 2017 theMaritime Safety Committee (MSC) agreed to conduct a Regulatory Scoping Exercise (RSE) to determine how safe, secure and environmentally sound MASS operations might be addressed in IMO instruments. Completion of the RSE is due in late 2020, but recognising the need to provide guidance to national administrations and industry stakeholders in the meantime, the MSC has produced a series of interim guidelines.