MASS and IMO Works

The Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) technology is in the development stage through the 4th Industrial Revolution. However, there are still no international regulations related to MASS, which means that even if MASS development progresses, it cannot be used for international voyage at this stage without special permission. Consequently, the IMO has undertaken the task of developing regulations for MASS so-called MASS code. This chapter includes the contents of the MASS Regulatory Scoping Exercise (RSE), which began in 2017 and was completed in 2021, and the subsequent discussions on the Goal-Based Standard non-mandatory and mandatory MASS code. Additionally, it covers the definitions of MASS discussed so far, discussions on remote operators and remote control centers, jurisdictions and genuine links, human elements, and applications. These discussions will broaden the regulatory understanding of MASS at this stage.