The IMO's Autonomous Ship Code Just Took Effect — Your Charterparty Hasn't Caught Up
On 1 July 2026, the IMO's new International Code of Safety for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships — the MASS Code, adopted in May 2026 after nearly a decade of multilateral work — came into effect. It's non-mandatory for now, running on a voluntary basis for at least two years before the IMO moves toward a mandatory version by 2028, but it is the first global, goal-based framework requiring autonomous and remotely operated commercial ships to meet safety and environmental standards equivalent to conventional vessels.
Regulators have now set the safety baseline. What the MASS Code does not resolve is the contractual side: when a vessel operates with reduced or no crew, do the standard voyage charterparty obligations — seaworthiness, care for cargo, deviation — still mean what they've always meant? Those doctrines were built around the assumption of a human crew making judgment calls, and that assumption is now genuinely in question for the ships the MASS Code covers.
Managing Legal Risks in Voyage Charterparties for Autonomous Ships, by Dr Raphael Esu (Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Hertfordshire), works through exactly that gap. Rather than surveying MASS regulation generally, it focuses squarely on the shipowner-charterer relationship, re-examining seaworthiness, care for cargo and deviation specifically for autonomous operation, and proposing a framework for allocating risk through charterparty clauses.
As the MASS Code's voluntary phase gets underway and more owners and charterers start drafting for vessels that don't fit standard charterparty assumptions, this book gives practitioners a concrete starting point — not a regulatory survey, but a drafting and negotiation reference for the contracts already being written.
It sits within our Law collection, alongside other current titles on shipping and maritime technology law.
Q&A
Does this book relate to the IMO's new MASS Code? Yes — it addresses the contractual questions the regulatory MASS Code (effective 1 July 2026) leaves open, focusing on charterparty obligations rather than safety certification.
What does this book cover? It examines how the voyage charterparty obligations of seaworthiness, care for cargo, and deviation apply to autonomous and remotely operated vessels, and proposes a framework for allocating liability.
Does it focus on regulation or contract law? It deliberately focuses on the contractual relationship between shipowners and charterers rather than regulatory frameworks, which are covered elsewhere in the MASS literature.
Who is this book for? Maritime lawyers, shipowners, charterers, maritime insurers, and academics working on shipping law and maritime technology.
Where can I buy Managing Legal Risks in Voyage Charterparties for Autonomous Ships? You can order it directly from CLNZ Books, with secure worldwide shipping.