The Federation Council approves amendments to the codes of shipping concerning autonomous navigation
The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia approved amendments to the Merchant Shipping Code and the Inland Water Transport Code of the Russian Federation, which introduce a number of concepts related to autonomous navigation, the upper house of parliament press office said.
Ivan Abramov, First Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy, spoke as a speaker on the issue.
“The changes are aimed at creating a legal framework for the possibility of using autonomous vessels. Amendments are being made to the Code of Merchant Shipping of the Russian Federation and the Code of Inland Water Transport of the Russian Federation, to the Federal Law on Seaports in the Russian Federation, as well as to the federal laws on transport security and on inland sea waters in the territorial sea of the Russian Federation,” the official was quoted as saying.
New concepts of "autonomous vessel", "semi-autonomous vessel", "fully autonomous vessel" are introduced into the sphere of legal regulation. Depending on the type of vessel, requirements are introduced for the owner and crew, and the rules relating to pilotage of vessels are specified.
The explanatory note to the bill notes that large companies and international groups are currently developing technical solutions for autonomous vessels. Russia is carrying out similar work as well, since "autonomous navigation is an extremely promising direction for the development of maritime and inland water transport, and its widespread use is expected in the near future." At the same time, to implement the navigation of autonomous ships, it is not enough to develop and implement only technical means and build a new ship, it is necessary to create a legal basis for the possibility of their application, since the existing legislation is based on a concept of presence on board the crews who operate the ships.
In this regard, a draft law was developed that amends the Merchant Shipping Code and the Inland Water Transport Code, laws on seaports and transport security. Both Codes are supplemented by the definition of an autonomous vessel of two types: semi-autonomous vessels and fully autonomous vessels. The draft law proposes to include autonomous ships in the list of ships that can be registered in the Russian International Ship Register.
The draft law also clarifies the rules relating to pilotage of ships in terms of their application to autonomous ships. In addition, the obligations of the shipowner are determined to ensure compliance with the mandatory requirements applicable to an autonomous ship, in terms of safety of navigation, reduction of the impact and control of the negative impact of the ship on the environment, management of the autonomous ship, including navigation, measures to ensure surveillance of the autonomous ship and persons, providing such monitoring and control. The features of the requirements for the crew of a semi-autonomous vessel are also determined. It is established that the management of an autonomous ship by an "external crew" can be entrusted by the shipowner to a specialized organization.
The Law on Seaports is supplemented by norms regarding sections of sea routes in which the features of navigation of autonomous ships are established or in which tests of marine equipment, including autonomous ships, are carried out.
“The operation of semi-autonomous ships will not require a significant reconstruction of the existing technical means of port traffic control systems. For fully autonomous vessels, such a reconstruction can be carried out as part of the planned modernization of vessel traffic control systems by their owners,” the explanatory note says.
At the same time, the bill prohibits the navigation of autonomous foreign warships and other autonomous state-owned ships operated for non-commercial purposes in the internal sea waters and in the territorial sea of Russia, except in cases when permission from the Ministry of Defense has been granted.