The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) participated in the second session of the IMO Intersessional Working Group on Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), where Gordon Meadow (CMarTech, FIMarEST, IMarEST MASS SIG member & MASSPeople Chair) and Ross Macfarlane (IMarEST MASS SIG member & MASSPeople ex officio), proposed new competency standards.

“MASSPeople is an initiative that began in 2021 with the view that people and skills are always the last things to be considered whenever legislation changes to facilitate the adoption of new technology in the maritime industry.  

“We want to pre-empt that by starting the discussion on people and skills early on, so standards change at the same time as the technology does,” says Macfarlane, who is also Remote Operation Centre Manager with Fugro. 

The paper - Bridging Competency Gaps for MASS Operators in Alignment with the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Framework – sought to establish clear competence standards for maritime autonomous surface ships on the support, operational, and management functional levels. 

Shifting skillsets 

“[There is a] gap between the STCW competency framework and the competencies required to perform new functions,” says Meadow, who is also founder and CEO of SeaBot Maritime.  

Read the full article Future-proofing competency standards on autonomous surface ships at The Marine Professional.