About the MASS Group

The MASS Task Force is currently suspended. This page records its last composition, its background and its terms of reference.

Group Committee representatives

• VTS – Neil Trainor
• ARM – Jakob Bang
• ENG – Alwyn Williams
• DTEC – Jillian Carson-Jackson

Background

At its 72nd session, the Council discussed the development of MASS and reaffirmed its position that there was a need to increase focus on developing MASS related IALA guidance. The Netherlands and Singapore agreed to develop an input paper to PAP on preparing VTS for MASS (PAP41-6.1.5.1).

Under the 2018–2022 work programme, the ENAV Committee led the development of MASS related guidance, and a virtual workshop on Marine Aids to Navigation in the autonomous world was planned for May 2021, shortly after IMO MSC 103, so that the discussion could draw on the results of the IMO MASS Regulatory Scoping Exercise (RSE).

Related documents

• C71-8.5.1 The impact of MASS on VTS (the Netherlands)
• VTS49-8.2.4 Scoping exercise on the implications of MASS on VTS documents (China MSA)
• C72-11.1.2 Committee Work Programme for 2018-2022

Recalling the first article of the then IALA Constitution, the input paper took the view that the discussion on MASS within IALA should be broadened to encompass all types of Marine Aids to Navigation, including VTS, so that all types of services rendered by members were taken into account. For the same reason, the scoping exercise was to include all IALA publications. The work was to include:

1. identifying possible future scenarios while considering the evolution of MASS;
2. analysing the possible impact of MASS on Marine Aids to Navigation;
3. identifying the future requirements on Marine Aids to Navigation services; and
4. identifying possible MASS related work items for the IALA committees.

The papers referenced above provide further background and proposed work items.

Given the diversity of issues involved, and to facilitate the organisation and coordination of the work, a cross-committee group was established under the auspices of PAP. The group was composed of a chair and a vice chair appointed by PAP, one representative from each technical committee appointed by the chairs, and three to four subject matter experts at the discretion of the group chair.

Terms of Reference

The purpose of the group was to facilitate MASS related work within IALA and to focus that work on developing relevant guidance for members.

The group met periodically to discuss MASS developments, study national and regional MASS projects and progress MASS related work across the technical committees. It reported to the Policy Advisory Panel, which assigned its work and decided on its composition. The IALA Secretariat provided secretarial support.

The initial deliverables of the group were:

1. a schedule of the work indicating deadlines for deliverables;
2. a report on possible MASS scenarios and their impact on Marine Aids to Navigation;
3. a scoping exercise and a report on the impact of MASS on IALA publications; and
4. a report on possible MASS related work items for the IALA committees.

The group provided regular progress reports to PAP and submitted relevant informative inputs to the technical committees, informing them about MASS developments.