Mr Ørbeck-Nilssen, who is also CEO of DNV GL – Maritime, noted that the association was embracing the challenges of the digital transformation of shipping during a speech at the Connecticut Maritime Association’s (CMA) annual conference in Stamford.
“It is my duty and honour to encourage the world’s biggest classification societies to pull together to adapt to this rapid pace of change and create a strong foundation for IACS as the leading maritime technical association,” he said.
IACS now has a dedicated working group which has examined relevant resolutions to identify which standards present potential regulatory barriers to autonomous ship operations, Mr Ørbeck-Nilssen added, and is working on the development of a common terminology for different levels of autonomy.
Further technology-focused work includes the establishment of an industry working group on cyber safety, to address common safety issues with interconnected systems, sharing best practices and keeping up to date with new developments, as well as a new examination of survey requirements to facilitate the use of modern survey technology.
