MASS Degree 3

The third IMO MASS degree of autonomy: the ship is controlled and operated from another location with no seafarers on board. A remote operations center runs the vessel; there is no crew to assume manual control if the remote link or autonomy fails, which raises the bar on system reliability, connectivity, and fallback design. It sits between Degree 2 (remote control with crew aboard) and Degree 4 (the ship’s systems decide and act without remote operators).