Seawork Insights – Autonomy at sea - the future of global regulations for autonomous vessels and underwater systems
February 26, 2026By Seawork Press FP
IMCA International Marine Contractors Association
AI and Autonomy
Seawork Insights
Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS)
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Join International Marine Contractors Association(IMCA) technical advisors Richard Purser and Roger Moore online at 1100 on Thursday 19 March for the fourth in the current series of Seawork Insights.
Autonomy at sea - the future of global regulations for autonomous vessels and underwater systems sees Richard and Roger looking at Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) from a regulatory perspective, outlining IMCA's view on the IMO's forthcoming MASS regulations and discussing what IMCA is doing in response to those regulations.
Richard will cover M271 & M272: Assured for Uncrewed Surface Vessels and Remote Operation Centres with Roger majoring on Automation & Autonomy in Marine Operations.
They’ll also be looking at IMCA activity in the ROV, AUV, and USV space, diving into detail on the four levels of autonomy and asking the question whether this is leading towards a global standard including accreditation of inspectors.
Richard Purser, Technical Adviser – IMCA, joined IMCA in 2021 following a 25-year career in Dynamic Positioning (DP). He spent 13 years as a DP Practitioner on all types of DP vessels, as well as incident investigations and FMEA analysis on mission critical equipment, specialising in closed bus FMEAs utilising advanced generator protection systems and hybrid battery systems.
Roger Moore, Technical Adviser – IMCA, joined IMCA in July 2023 having spent the last 27 years working in the ROV Industry around the globe, most recently for the James Fisher Group. Over his career he has held positions offshore from Trainee Pilot Technician to OPM, and onshore as a ROV operations Manager & Technical Authority.
The International Marine Contractors Association has a 54-year legacy with roots going back to 1972; IMCA was formed in 1995 through the merger of the former Association of Offshore Diving Contractors (AODC, formed in 1972), and the Dynamically Positioned Vessel Owners Association (DPVOA, formed in 1989).
IMCA plays a key role in bringing the offshore industry together to improve safety. At its core is a committee structure, and related focal and work groups, with more than 380 volunteers ensuring that all 750+ Members’ interests are covered – no matter the expertise or technical focus of their business.
