On the occasion of the meeting in London that will end tomorrow, the Maritime Safety Committee of the International Maritime Organization has adopted the new International Security Code for autonomous surface ships (MASS code), which is the first international regulation on autonomous navigation.

The MASS code is intended to support integration into safety of autonomous and remote-controlled commercial ships in the global maritime transport and establishes a regulatory framework based on on targets to ensure that autonomous ships are built, managed and certified according to safety and environmental standards equivalent to those of conventional ships.

The new code applies to large merchant ships operating at the international and will enter into force from the next first July. Initially it will be on a voluntary basis for at least two years, to allow experimentation with its use and to open the road to its eventual introduction as a mandatory rule for under the SOLAS Convention.