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Autonomous ships enter a global regulatory framework: inside the IMO’s MASS Code

| Written by | in Logistics and supply chain, Flash

The international regulation of autonomous ships has crossed a decisive threshold. In May 2026, the Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted, through resolution MSC.595(111), the International Code of Safety for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS Code).

Non-mandatory and applicable since 1 July 2026, it is the first international framework designed specifically to integrate autonomous and remotely controlled ships safely into world maritime transport (IMO 2026a). Its adoption opens a decisive stage in which autonomy must show that it can operate with levels of safety equivalent to those of a conventional ship, and it signals new challenges for professionals, administrations and ports.

The Code adopted in 2026 is only the first step in this regulatory process. Its initial application is voluntary, and the IMO will use the coming years to build experience before moving towards a mandatory instrument. In December 2026, MSC 112 is to develop the framework for the experience-building phase. Work on the mandatory MASS Code is scheduled to begin in 2028, along with consideration of the necessary amendments to SOLAS. The roadmap places its adoption by 1 July 2030 at the latest, and its entry into force on 1 January 2032 (IMO 2026b).

Figure 1. MASS Code regulatory

MASS Code regulatory.

Source: own elaboration based on OMI 2026b

The purpose of the Code is to ensure that MASS are designed, built, operated and certified with levels of safety and protection equivalent to those of a conventional ship. The instrument complements, and does not replace, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) and the other mandatory IMO instruments that apply. It covers cargo ships subject to SOLAS chapter I and addresses matters ranging from design and navigation to connectivity, cybersecurity, remote operations and emergency response (IMO 2026a). One of the key features of the new framework is how it understands autonomy.

The adopted Code does not structure regulation around a fixed scale of degrees of autonomy but takes a functional approach. For each ship, it must be identified which functions are performed autonomously, which are controlled remotely and which continue to be carried out conventionally by people on board. These modes of operation may vary depending on the task and the stage of the voyage (IMO 2026a). Nor does advanced automation on its own make a ship a MASS. To qualify, autonomous or remote technologies must replace or support functions normally carried out by the crew, and the ship must complete the corresponding approval and certification process (IMO n.d.).

A central element of the new framework is the Concept of Operations (ConOps), the document that explains how each ship is intended to operate and serves as the basis for its assessment and certification (IMO 2026a). It must make clear what the ship can and cannot do, under what conditions its systems function and how it should react if those conditions cease to hold. The ship operates within safety margins set in advance and, faced with an unexpected event such as a breakdown or the loss of the data link, must adopt a safe response on its own.

The Code also introduces a specific certification scheme. To operate under this framework, each MASS must hold a valid MASS Safety Certificate, accompanied by information on its ConOps, the allocation of tasks, any deviations from other applicable requirements and the associated remote operations centres (IMO 2026a). Where a Remote Operations Centre (ROC) is involved, it must also hold a certificate for each MASS it operates, setting out its operational restrictions and the connectivity infrastructure used. Both the ship’s certificate and the ROC’s may be issued by the flag Administration or by an organization recognized by it.

Greater technological autonomy does not mean the disappearance of the human element. The Code establishes that the master retains responsibility for the safe operation of the ship at all times, whether on board or in a ROC, and regulates the transfers of command so that whoever assumes control has sufficient information. Alongside the master, the remote operator gains prominence, carrying out certain functions from ashore and required to hold qualifications no lower than those of the STCW Convention (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping) and specific training for MASS systems (IMO 2026a). Adapting training, watchkeeping, fatigue management and coordination between personnel on board and ashore will be one of the areas accompanying the development of autonomy.

At European level, international rulemaking builds on earlier work aimed at fostering a harmonized approach to MASS trials. The European Commission, supported by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), has an expert group on autonomous navigation and operational guidelines for trials that address matters such as risk assessment, the responsibilities of authorities and of those running the trials, and the future coexistence of conventional and autonomous ships. Harmonization between the international and European frameworks will be especially relevant as these operations move from test environments to commercial use.

Spain has also begun to translate this reality into its domestic legislation. Royal Decree 1188/2025 (Real Decreto 1188/2025 in Spanish) expressly included autonomous ships and craft among the cases requiring express clearance authorization on maritime safety grounds and excluded them from the self-clearance regime. In addition, foreign autonomous ships and craft are among the cases subject to express authorization to enter Spanish waters (Real Decreto 1188/2025).

In parallel, parliamentary work continues on the bill reforming the Consolidated Text of the State Ports and Merchant Marine Act and the Maritime Navigation Act, which includes a specific chapter on autonomous ships and craft (Proyecto de Ley 121/000034). As of August 2026, the bill remains at the report stage in the Congress’s Committee on Transport and Sustainable Mobility, so its provisions do not yet constitute enacted law.

The regulation of the ship is, in any case, only part of the challenge. Autonomy does not end at the harbour entrance. The arrival of a MASS potentially affects vessel traffic services, pilotage, towage and mooring, coordination with terminals, emergency procedures and the exchange of information between the ship, the ROC and the various port stakeholders. The IMO has already opened this second regulatory front, and its Facilitation Committee has a roadmap focused specifically on the ship/port interface, which will examine whether the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic needs amendments or new interpretations.

The MASS Code does not, therefore, mean the immediate arrival of the crewless ship in international trade. In fact, the IMO itself acknowledges that no SOLAS cargo ship currently operates commercially in an autonomous manner in international traffic (IMO n.d.), although trials are increasing. What changes from 2026 is the framework. Autonomy no longer depends on pilot projects and national solutions, and now has common international rules to assess and certify its safety. The coming years will tell how that experience translates into mandatory requirements and whether the maritime and port sector will be able to integrate it.

References

*Disclaimer: This English version has been generated with the support of AI-based translation tools. In case of discrepancies, the Spanish original prevails.

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