The world’s largest shipping association BIMCO has unveiled that its Documentary Committee has approved the AUTOSHIPMAN agreement, a contractual framework designed to support the rising number of remotely controlled vessels as the maritime industry inches closer to its climate neutrality goals.

As disclosed, the primary purpose behind the AUTOSHIPMAN deal was to lay down the foundation of a standardized contract-based system that enables third-party ship managers to provide operational services for remote-controlled or fully autonomous ships, the majority of which, according to BIMCO, is presently employed in inland waterways and coastal trades.