RS at Symposium on IMO Mass Code 2025
Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) representative, Deputy Head of the Expertise and Engineering Department Albert Chernyshov attended the International Symposium on Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). The event titled “Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships as a reality: the need for the IMO MASS Code” was organized jointly by the IMO Secretariat and the Norwegian Maritime Authority.
The Symposium aimed to advance IMO’s efforts in creating a non-mandatory Code of Safety for MASS by fostering knowledge-sharing on the latest research, practical developments, and insights fr om successful autonomous vessel trials. The Symposium sparked great interest within the maritime community, with representatives from around 100 countries in attendance.
The program featured five thematic sessions, during which 17 reports were presented, covering various aspects of autonomous shipping development and the improvement of national and international regulatory frameworks for the implementation of modern autonomous transport technologies. Key speakers included representatives from Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom, Norway and Italy.
The Symposium took place just before the 110th session of IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 110), wh ere discussions on the MASS Safety Code will progress. The Code will draw on real-world insights from maritime administrations, research institutions, developers, shipping companies and operators with direct experience in autonomous systems and MASS.
RS representatives are currently taking part in the session as members of the national delegation.
Detailed information about the Symposium, including presentation materials, is available via link.
Additional information:
Founded in 1913, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) is a world-renowned classification society that operates within all spheres of the maritime industry with the goal of improving the operational and environmental safety of marine transportation. RS reviews technical documentation, surveys ships and offshore facilities under construction and in service, certifies vessels and companies for compliance with international conventions, recognizes and certifies industrial products and manufacturers, certifies quality management systems for compliance with international and national standards.
Today, RS is actively implementing the concept "More than class" by expanding its scope of services in the field of engineering and consulting, the development of technical documentation for vessels in service, marine warranty surveys and certification. In addition, RS surveys all container types, including tank containers and offshore containers, confirms compliance of packaging for dangerous goods, as well as renders services on the declaration and certification of dangerous goods and bulk cargoes.