Smooth sailing or stuck in the doldrums? Navigating the UK's new remote and autonomous ship regulations

Maritime & Offshore | 27/01/2025

In December 2023, Stephenson Harwood highlighted the introduction of the Workboat Code Edition 3 ("Edition 3"), a pivotal regulatory milestone by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency ("MCA") that, for the first time, addressed remotely operated unmanned vessels¹. In just 13 months, the MCA has built on this foundation, issuing two new General Exemptions aimed at further modernising the regulatory landscape for maritime autonomous surface vessels ("MASS") in the UK.

[1] That article can be found here.