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Norway has entered into a new agreement with the UK, Belgium, Denmark, and the Netherlands to facilitate better cooperation on the international operation of autonomous ships, the Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries said in a recent press release.
The purpose of the agreement is to simplify the operation of autonomous ships in the North Sea and to ensure that these vessels can operate safely within the individual countries' national requirements and frameworks.
"This collaboration can help establish a new international market for the Norwegian maritime industry," said Marianne Sivertsen Næss, Norway's Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Affairs. "It will also create an arena for further developing efficient and safe solutions for autonomous operation, and will be able to play an important role for maritime companies in the years ahead."
The Norwegian Maritime Authority meanwhile believes that the agreement is an ideal framework for common technical standards and solutions.
The countries that have signed the agreement will exchange knowledge and information on national activities and follow a common approach to international autonomous operations where appropriate.
The agreement concerns cooperation on requirements to be imposed on autonomous ships operating in the North Sea Basin, i.e. outside national waters, so that the countries can agree on common technical standards and solutions for the ships pending international regulations.
Where projects and initiatives have until now been vessels in national traffic within territorial waters, there are now several ongoing projects that are assessing market opportunities in the North Sea basin. The development is particularly driven by existing and expected developments in offshore wind and the development of vessels and operating concepts for inspection and maintenance of these.
The agreement is based on existing guidelines from the IMO and the EU.
The IMO has initiated work on developing non-binding rules for autonomous cargo ships, and it expects to finalise these rules by 2025. Norway is actively participating in this work.
