Lloyd’s Register (LR) and Sagar Defence Engineering Limited (SDEL) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support the certification and regulatory acceptance of autonomous and remotely operated maritime systems.
The collaboration aims to establish practical procedures for assessing the safety and reliability of autonomous technologies before their deployment. It will combine LR’s expertise in classification and regulatory compliance with Sagar Defence’s experience in developing autonomous maritime platforms.
The agreement covers potential applications across commercial shipping, government operations and the defence sector.
Developing certification pathways for autonomous systems
Under the agreement, the two organisations will develop approaches to testing, verification and validation, alongside assessments of whether autonomous systems are ready for classification and certification.
Their work will also address operational requirements, safety assessments and the interaction between vessels, sensors, communications systems and remote operators.
The partners plan to engage with regulators, government agencies and industry stakeholders to support the development of certification frameworks for emerging maritime technologies.
“Autonomous maritime capability is moving rapidly from experimentation to operational deployment,” said David Lloyd, Vice President, Naval and Government Business at Lloyd’s Register.
The collaboration will also examine how autonomous systems perform under normal operating conditions and during equipment failures or communication disruptions.
By incorporating safety assessments into the development process, LR and Sagar Defence aim to help operators demonstrate that autonomous technologies meet the requirements for operational acceptance.
The MoU establishes a framework for technical cooperation. It does not announce the certification of a specific vessel or autonomous system, and no deployment timetable has been disclosed.
