Description
Following the introduction of new technology, the legal dilemma arises regarding whether it can be contained by existing regulations or if new legal instruments are necessary. At the international level, a regulatory scoping exercise (RSE) was conducted to assess existing IMO instruments to see how they might apply to ships that utilize varying degrees of automation. Based on the RSE, the development of a non-mandatory Code to cover regulatory gaps has been initiated.However, a question remains unanswered: how do states regulate new technology that, to some
extent, has not been developed yet? New technology is often developed and tested by an industry that carefully guards its knowledge, as this knowledge represents a competitive advantage.
Regulation is expected to enable innovation while simultaneously protecting society. Data gaps and lack of information can be barriers to regulation. When data and information are owned by the industry, and not shared, there is a risk that regulation becomes a limitation to innovation or a danger to society.
The quality of risk-based regulation depends on knowledge at the legislative level; thus, it becomes dependent on cooperation between the industry and the state. However, if the knowledge is retained by the private entity, the role of the state becomes merely to legitimize the industry. The role of a public competence centre, such as MARS, would be competence-building, and facilitation of regulatory knowledge. The centre will not be able to give all the answers, but it will provide regulators with necessary knowledge to ask the right questions.
| Period | 20. Dec 2024 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Autonomous Ships 2024 |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | København, DenmarkShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |