AROS
DNV class notations for Autonomous and Remotely Operated Ships, available since January 2025.
DNV and the German yard Fassmer agreed in a memorandum announced on 10 September 2026 to seek approval in principle under AROS rules for crewless naval and government ships.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026
Will navies adopt a commercial class society's rules for robot warships?
Timeline for AROS
Mentioned in: DNV and Fassmer aim to class robot ships
Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaBackground
AROS stands for Autonomous and Remotely Operated Ships. It is a family of class notations from DNV, the Norwegian ship-classification society, launched in December 2024 and available from 1 January 2025. The rules set functional requirements for navigation, engineering, operations and safety.
AROS sorts vessels into four categories by how much the CREW delegates: remote control, decision support, supervised autonomy and full autonomy. A shipowner or builder chooses the notation that matches the vessel's design, and DNV assesses it against that tier.
The notations matter because they give builders a route to Independent assurance for uncrewed ships. DNV and Fassmer's September 2026 memorandum applies them to naval and government vessels, offering navy builders a commercial standard to work to before any navy has set up its own certifying authority.
Naval builders turn to commercial class rules
AROS moved from Merchant shipping towards defence on 10 September 2026, when DNV and Fassmer announced a memorandum signed at the SMM fair in Hamburg. The pair want approval in principle for crewless naval and government ships, assessed against AROS, which took effect at the start of 2025.
Rasmus Stute of DNV called autonomy one of defence's emerging "key pillars". For AROS, the deal tests whether a commercial notation written for merchant ships can carry a warship builder's design through review. An approval in principle is an early step: it confirms a design concept meets the rules before construction, not that a finished vessel has been classed.