FAVOR
FAVOR is a £1.2m Horizon Europe-funded project launched 1 June 2026, led by Liverpool John Moores University, to recommend a unified regulatory architecture for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships.
FAVOR, a £1.2m Horizon Europe project led by Liverpool John Moores University, launched on 1 June 2026 to write the cross-border rulebook the IMO's MASS Code left unresolved when it entered force on 1 July.
Last refreshed: 24 July 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Can FAVOR produce a cross-border MASS rulebook before the 2032 binding deadline?
Timeline for FAVOR
Mentioned in: The MASS Code enters force, its detail deferred
Autonomous Systems: Land & SeaLaunched with £1.2m Horizon Europe funding to recommend unified autonomous ship regulatory architecture
Autonomous Systems: Land & Sea: FAVOR funds the rulebook nobody finishedBackground
FAVOR is a Horizon Europe-funded research project examining the regulatory, cybersecurity, human-factors, education and workforce-transition dimensions of Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS). It is led by Liverpool John Moores University and brings together European academic and industry partners with the aim of recommending a single pan-European regulatory architecture, rather than leaving national maritime regimes to diverge after the IMO adopted its own MASS Code.
The project sits between two poles in the crewless-shipping debate. On one side are shipowners and classification societies keen to move quickly from voluntary rules to commercial deployment; on the other are seafarers' unions, chief among them Nautilus International, warning that removing masters from ships risks stripping accountability from any incident at sea. FAVOR's REMIT is to produce independent findings both sides can treat as credible, rather than industry advocacy.
Its output is intended to feed the IMO's post-adoption Experience Building Phase and, ultimately, the binding regulatory framework due in 2032.
FAVOR studies crewless-ship rule gaps
FAVOR launched on 1 June 2026 with £1.2m in Horizon Europe funding, tasked with recommending a unified regulatory architecture across cybersecurity, human factors, workforce transition and sustainability for autonomous cargo ships. The project follows directly from the IMO's MASS Code, which entered force on 1 July 2026 as a voluntary framework and Left its Experience Building Phase undefined until the Maritime Safety Committee meets in December.
FAVOR's workforce strand carries the sharpest edge: it is the forum where Nautilus International's argument that a master must stay aboard while any crew are present gets independent academic scrutiny rather than being settled by vendor economics. Its recommendations are aimed squarely at the binding framework due by 2032, giving a six-year academic project real influence over rules still being written.
What is the FAVOR project for autonomous ships?
Why was the FAVOR project launched after the IMO MASS Code?
Who is leading the FAVOR autonomous ships project?
What does FAVOR say about whether a master must stay aboard autonomous ships?
