Executive summary
1 Jul 2026
the IMO's non-mandatory MASS Code takes effect, voluntary for at least two years
65M TEU
PSA Tuas's target annual capacity at full build-out in the 2040s
Key conclusions
- The IMO adopted its first global code for autonomous ships in May 2026. It is voluntary from July 2026 and mandatory by 1 January 2032.
- PSA Tuas automated its yard operations without waiting for the global code. More than 300 automated guided vehicles (AGVs) already run across 11 berths, and they cut emissions by roughly 50% compared with diesel prime movers.
- Both follow the same type of planning horizon. They automate what is ready, on a published timeline, while the regulatory limits for the rest are still being tested.
Shipping now has a regulatory answer to a question it has deferred for years: what an autonomous vessel may do, and under whose authority. In May 2026, the IMO's Maritime Safety Committee adopted the non-mandatory MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships) Code by resolution MSC.595(111). The Code takes effect on 1 July 2026 and remains voluntary for at least two years. During that time, an Experience-Building Phase, convened from the committee's next session in December 2026, will gather real operating data. The IMO targets adoption of a mandatory code by 1 July 2030 and entry into force on 1 January 2032.
This six-year period from voluntary to mandatory is a planning horizon. It matches the kind of phased capital programme that a major port must run, whenever the regulation arrives.
The Code moves from voluntary to mandatory over six years
2021
IMO Regulatory Scoping Exercise defines four degrees of ship autonomy
May 2026
Maritime Safety Committee adopts the non-mandatory MASS Code, MSC.595(111)
1 Jul 2026
The Code takes effect, voluntary for at least two years
Dec 2026
Experience-Building Phase convened, gathering real operating data
1 Jul 2030
Target for adopting a mandatory code
1 Jan 2032
Target for the mandatory code to enter into force
The Code builds on four degrees of ship autonomy defined in 2021
The regulatory groundwork dates from the IMO's 2021 Regulatory Scoping Exercise, which defined four degrees of autonomy. Degree 1 is a ship with automated processes, with seafarers on board and in control. Degree 2 is a remotely controlled ship with seafarers still on board. Degree 3 is a remotely controlled ship with no seafarers on board. Degree 4 is a fully autonomous ship that makes its own decisions. The MASS Code that followed is the operating framework for moving vessels up these degrees.
PSA Tuas is automating on a similar long-term horizon
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Target capacity at full build-out | 65 million TEU a year, in the 2040s |
| Automation status reported in 2026 | Phase Two of automation complete; AI systems and AGVs running across multiple berths |
| Automated guided vehicles in operation | 300+ AGVs across 11 operational berths |
| Emissions impact | AGVs cut carbon emissions roughly 50% against diesel prime movers on the same duty |
Operators should use 2026 to 2032 to generate evidence from their automation
Tuas did not wait for a global MASS Code before automating its yard operations. A port terminal's automation decisions (cranes, AGVs and yard planning) sit mostly within its own perimeter. They fall under its own regulatory relationship with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, outside IMO vessel rules. Even so, its programme follows the pattern that the MASS Code's six-year voluntary-to-mandatory period assumes for vessels. The programme is phased over roughly two decades toward a stated capacity target. It automates the parts that are ready, on a published timeline, while the regulatory limits for the rest are still being tested.
Operators connected to either, such as logistics partners, vessel operators and port-services vendors, should treat 2026 to 2032 as the period in which the operating data that shapes the mandatory Code is generated. They should make sure that whatever they automate now produces evidence as well as throughput.
