Page 37: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 2018)

“Climate change is the big- gest issue facing the maritime industry.Cli- mate change has a huge impact on the ship itself, the ship management and the ship- ping industry as a whole.”

Kitack Lim, Secretary-General, IMO

Photos: IMO issues, such as ship design, and fuel and vides is as a forum gathering together all have no applicability, and what actions prescriptive solutions. This is the only energy ef? ciency. those with an interest in shipping,” said would need to be taken in order to en- way to make sure that measures adopted “This will lead to new generations of Lim. “IMO’s Maritime Safety Commit- sure that the construction and operation by IMO are not rendered obsolete by the ships that bring step change improve- tee (MSC) will this year begin a scop- of maritime autonomous surface ships time-lag between adoption and entry- ments in all the areas that IMO regu- ing exercise to determine how the safe, are carried out safely, securely, and in an into-force.” lates,” said Lim. “E-navigation and secure and environmentally sound op- environmentally sound manner. IMO’s “Arti? cial Intelligence capabilities are cyber security are already on IMO’s eration of maritime autonomous surface Legal Committee is also expected to in- accelerating rapidly and will have an im- agenda. We will be looking at the sub- ships may be introduced in IMO instru- clude an item on its agenda, to undertake portant impact not only on our work but ject of autonomous vessels in the coming ments. The strong interest in this topic in parallel a regulatory scoping exercise society as a whole, and are already incor- months, starting with a comprehensive was evident on the lengthy discussion and gap analysis of conventions emanat- porated in many products – for example, scoping exercise to review current regu- that it attracted, not only during the MSC ing from the Legal Committee – such as Amazon’s shopping recommendations lations and how they may or may not ap- meeting last year, but the extensive me- those covering liability and compensa- and Tesla’s self-driving cars,” said Lim. ply to autonomous vessels.” dia coverage since.” tion – with respect to autonomous ships. “Advancements in technologies such as

Autonomous ships, in particular, are Lim said the scoping exercise is a robotics, automation and big data will

Disruption gaining wide traction as several large starting point and is expected to touch usher structural changes and fully au- corporations and organizations are not on an extensive range of issues, includ- Hand-in-hand with digitalization tonomous ports and unmanned ships are only studying autonomous ship, but ing technical issues, the human element, comes disruption, as many non-tradi- already a reality, albeit in a very small launching prototypes and planning for safety, security, legal liability, interac- tional maritime companies eye the in- scale. IMO will continue to remain rel- real-world production. While the tech- tions with ports, pilotage, responses to dustry for opportunities. “Digital dis- evant and in touch with these develop- nology side of the autonomous vessel incidents and protection of the marine ruption will arrive in the shipping world ments. We are addressing autonomous equation is developing rapidly, there re- environment. In addition, the scoping very soon; and, when it does, IMO must vessels and the readiness of our regula- main many key issues to resolve, from exercise could include identi? cation of be ready,” said Lim. “This means the tory framework.” the regulatory to ? nance and insurance, whether IMO regulations preclude the rules for shipping must be based ? rmly Another key area for digital technol- to name a few. “The value that IMO pro- operations of these type of vessels or around goals and functions rather than ogy is e-navigation, harmonizing marine www.marinelink.com 37

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