Being a responsible industry - an industry code of practice

The development of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) has continued at a very significant pace over the last few years with more vessels 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 UK Industry Code of Practice has been prepared by the UK Maritime Autonomous Systems Working Group and has been published by Maritime UK through the Society of Maritime Industries. It has been reviewed by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). This Industry Code of Practice seeks to provide practical guidance for the design, construction and safe operation of autonomous and semi-autonomous vessels under 24m while the more detailed regulatory framework for MASS is developed. This Code will be updated as required when guidance from the IMO Regulatory Scoping Exercise is published, and as the MCA develops policies to meet the needs of forthcoming technological, commercial and regulatory developments.