In response to the growing need for standardization arising from the rapid global development of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) technology, the IAIN convened an online thematic meeting on June 4, 2025. The meeting, held pursuant to a decision made by the Officers’ Committee on May 20, 2025, focused on the establishment of a technical committee for standards. IAIN President Zhang Baochen, Senior Vice President Salvatore Gaglione , and Secretary General Hesham Helaljointly attended the meeting.

In recent years, driven by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), numerous countries and regions, including several EU member states, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, South Korea, and China, have intensified their research, development, and experimentation with MASS. Autonomous technology is increasingly becoming a major trend in the evolution of maritime navigation. By reducing human intervention, this technology holds the potential to mitigate crew shortages and lower risks to maritime safety, presenting broad application prospects. However, MASS operation heavily relies on modern communication, navigation, sensing, and artificial intelligence technologies, placing higher demands on the supply of navigational information. This is particularly critical in congested waters, where instantaneous, accurate, and highly reliable environmental perception and decision support are essential. Concurrently, a lack of unified technical standards persists in areas such as environmental perception, information processing, situational awareness, and collision avoidance decision-making. The prolonged absence of such standards could not only lead to duplicated research and development efforts but also pose potential threats to navigation safety and efficiency.

At the level of international maritime governance, the IMO is currently drafting the MASS Code, which is expected to be implemented voluntarily in 2028 and become mandatory in 2032. The current draft Code primarily outlines functional requirements and does not yet address specific technical standards. Following the proceedings at the IMO on behalf of its member institutes, and in accordance with its constitutional aim “to establish technical committees to study specific issues and formulate appropriate recommendations and standards,” IAIN has decided to establish a technical committee for standards. Its initial primary focus will be on MASS technology, aiming to foster technological development, enhance cooperation, and support international maritime governance.

During the meeting, consensus was reached regarding the committee’s organizational structure. The committee will comprise seven members: three standing members (the President, Senior Vice President, and Secretary General for the 2025-2027 term), and four rotating members nominated annually by IAIN Member Institutes. Zhang Baochen will serve as the inaugural Chair. The nomination process for the rotating members will commence shortly. The nominated candidates will be reviewed by the three standing members before being submitted to the Officers’ Committee for final confirmation.

The meeting also proposed the establishment of a Secretariat for the committee. The inaugural Secretariat will be located in China, with support provided on a voluntary basis by personnel seconded from member units of the China Institute of Navigation. To ensure operational continuity and global representation, the Secretariat’s location will rotate in the future, aligning with the institution of the  Chair.

Regarding the work plan, the Chair will take the lead in drafting the committee’s rules of procedure, defining its scope, responsibilities, meeting protocols, and decision-making mechanisms. The committee’s inaugural standardization project will focus on “terminology for autonomous ships.” The draft standard is planned for completion in 2026, after which it will enter a consultation period. Following the consultation, the list of nominated members, the rules of procedure, and the first standard will be submitted for review at the 2026 Officers’ Committee meeting as soon as possible. According to the plan, the committee will convene its inaugural meeting immediately after the Officers’ meeting. Subsequently, all committee meetings will be scheduled in conjunction with IAIN Officers’ Committee meetings to enhance efficiency.

In the near term, the committee will focus on studying core technical issues in the field of autonomous navigation, organizing research and deliberation on standards, and preparing IAIN to provide expert advice to the IMO and other relevant international organizations in a timely manner. The convening of this preparatory meeting marks a substantive step by IAIN in the global effort to collaboratively establish technical standards for MASS, demonstrating a proactive commitment to addressing technological change and advancing industry standards.