Solis Marine has joined the ‘Future Autonomous at Sea Technologies’ (FAST) Cluster, which was established to accelerate and foster the development of sustainable future at sea technologies.
Richard Pemberton, Head of Clean Shipping at Solis Marine, attended the meeting of the ‘FAST Cluster Surface Autonomy Subgroup’ which links industry, Government and academia in the field of autonomy at sea. It is predominantly focused on activities in the South West of the United Kingdom and aims to inspire collaboration to champion and grow the autonomy sector.
Recent efforts have been orientated towards the regulatory framework which autonomous vessels operate and the sub group meeting, held at Plymouth Marine Laboratories, discussed the implications of key regulatory changes, including the UK MCA Workboat Code 3 (WBC3), MGN702, and MGN705.
The Code and guidance notes represent a range of regulatory options for autonomous craft to meet, dependent on their size and scope of operation. The guidance notes provide smaller vessels (MGN702 for crafts less than 2.5 metres in length and MGN705 for craft lengths between 2.5 metres and 4.5 metres) with the option to self-certify. This has been done to support small vessel manufacturers, for whom the costs of certifying can prove prohibitive. The meeting provided the opportunity for members to share feedback on their effects on operations and compliance.
An overview of the legal risks of non-compliance was provided by the law firm Stephenson Harwood, who stressed the importance of adhering to evolving regulations. This was followed by a presentation from Stehr Consulting and Unmanned Survey Solutions (USS) on their development of a MiniMASS (autonomous craft less than 4.5 metres in length) Toolkit, which is intended to support craft through the regulatory process.
Richard Pemberton said “Marine autonomous vessel builders have had a complex regulatory landscape to deal with in recent years. With the latest MGN’s and Workboat Code 3, that landscape is clearer, but there are still difficulties to deal with. Solis Marine are actively involved in supporting vessel manufacturers navigate this landscape.”
Find out more about Solis Marine’s work in the clean shipping sector here.
Image credit: Unmanned Survey Solutions