IMO MSC 111: MASS Code, LRIT Access, Piracy Data Update

STCW Relief for Gulf Region Seafarers

According to a report by the Nautical Institute on the 111th session of the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC), a new circular has been approved offering guidance to flag administrations on renewing STCW certificates amid ongoing exceptional circumstances in the Arabian Sea, the Sea of Oman and the wider Gulf region. The guidance acknowledges force majeure conditions affecting seafarers and companies whose STCW and medical certificates require revalidation, encouraging administrations to extend certificate validity in ways consistent with STCW’s intent. Any such measures must be communicated to seafarers and to the IMO.

Non-Mandatory MASS Code Adopted

MSC also adopted a new, non-mandatory Code for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), set to take effect on 1 July 2026. Spanning 24 chapters, the code allows existing STCW training and watchkeeping standards to apply, for now, to Remote Operations Centre roles. It confirms that where crew are onboard a MASS, the Master must be physically present to oversee safety. A Minimum Safe Manning Document will need to specify whether particular capabilities are handled by onboard crew or remote operators. An Experience Building Phase is expected to run until 2030, feeding into a mandatory MASS Code targeted for 2032.

LRIT Access Expanded for Coastal States

Committee members scrutinised a proposal to provide 6-hourly Long-Range Identification and Tracking (LRIT) data at no charge to all coastal states. Under the current funding model, states extracting LRIT data pay fees supporting the system’s two main data centres, in Europe and the US. Delegates noted this cost structure has left LRIT underused for safety, security and search-and-rescue purposes, despite its resistance to spoofing compared with AIS. A policy decision now allows free basic LRIT access for coastal states covering ships within 1,000 nautical miles of their coastline, with related SOLAS amendments approved but not yet adopted amid reservations over tonnage criteria.

Piracy Incidents Rise in 2025

The IMO recorded 171 piracy and armed robbery incidents against ships in 2025, a 17% increase over 2024. The Straits of Malacca and Singapore accounted for 122 incidents, followed by West Africa (21), the Indian Ocean (10), South China Sea (6), East Africa (5), the Caribbean (4), the Arabian Sea (2), and the Pacific coast of South America (1). Hostage and kidnapping incidents fell to 17 from 22, with affected crew numbers dropping to 53 from 132 in 2024. Member states were asked to keep reporting incidents and details on private armed security deployments.

Broader Regulatory Output

The Committee adopted, approved or endorsed 28 resolutions and 21 circulars covering topics including shipborne VHF Data Exchange System operations and IMDG Code amendments. The Nautical Institute was represented at the session by Captains Chris O’Flaherty AFNI, Sarabjit Butalia FNI and Barry Sadler AFNI, assisted by Ms Diwari Peterside AMNIS.