MASS UK Industry Conduct Principles and Code of Practice 2023 (V7)

The development of Maritime Autonomous Ship Systems (MASS) has continued at a very significant pace over the last few years with more MASS entering operation all the time. They come in a variety of sizes and have a very diverse set of operational capabilities which all place their own unique demands on those who own and operate them and the remainder of the Maritime Community. MASS are an element of the development of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (RAI) systems across the various transport sectors. 

The term MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship) was adopted by the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) for their Regulatory scoping exercise (RSE) which completed at MSC 103 on the 14th May 2021. The outcome of the RSE is at MSC.1/Circ.1638 dated 3 June 2021. The scoping exercise undertaken by the Legal Committee (LEG) was completed in July 2021 and the Facilitation Committee of International Maritime Traffic (FAL) is expected to complete their work in 2021 with the further engagement from the Marine Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC). Information concerning their output is available through IMODOCS.