The United States has been a leader in discussions at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on autonomy since 2018 when the IMO’s Maritime Safety (MSC), Legal (LEG), and Facilitation (FAL) Committees each began regulatory scoping exercises (RSE) to determine how to address the safe, secure and environmentally sound operation of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) within the IMO instruments under their purview.
At the 111th Session of the MSC the IMO finalized and adopted the International Code for the Safety of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships, which entered into force as a non-mandatory code on July 1, 2026. The Code provides an international regulatory framework for cargo ships of 500 gross tonnage or more to address autonomous or remote operation of key functions and systems. The Code is developed on the principles that it be goal based and supplementary to SOLAS and any other applied instruments.
The IMO is expected to finalize a framework for the MASS Experience Building Phase (EBP) at MSC 112 to facilitate the submission of data related to the implementation of the Code, analysis of this data, and the identification of areas where the evidence demonstrates a need for amendments and additions to the Code. Application of the non-mandatory Code will provide valuable experience and operational insight ahead of the development of a future mandatory framework.
The finalization and adoption of a mandatory framework is currently forecasted for 2030 and its subsequent entry into force in 2032.