Indian Register of Shipping
India's ship classification society, founded 1975, headquartered in Mumbai and an IACS member.
In September 2026 the Indian Register of Shipping approved ISACA, the collision-avoidance software Accurate Industrial Controls wrote, against International Maritime Organization rules after 2,500 hours at SEA and on rivers. The code will guide six Indian Navy patrol boats being converted to crewless operation.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026
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The Indian Register of Shipping, known as IRClass, is an Independent ship classification society founded in India in 1975 and headquartered in Mumbai. It is a non-profit public company and a member of the International Association of Classification Societies, the body of the major class societies. It acts for the Government of India as the authority that assigns load lines to Indian-flag vessels.
In September 2026 IRClass moved into autonomy, approving the ISACA anti-collision code against International Maritime Organization rules for use on Indian Navy patrol boats being converted to uncrewed operation.
That makes IRClass the domestic certifier for the Indian Navy's uncrewed conversions, a position that gives it an early technical record in a field where international rules are still being written.
IRClass certifies software for crewless patrol boats
Marine Technology News reported on 14 September 2026 that The Register had signed off ISACA, the anti-collision code from Accurate Industrial Controls, as meeting International Maritime Organization rules. Sign-off came after the software cleared five milestones, each audited, across 2,500 hours on the sea and on rivers.
The software is meant for six Indian Navy patrol boats being converted into uncrewed surface vessels under a 2022 contract, starting with a 13m interceptor and two 23m support craft. For The Register, the job moves it from classing hulls and machinery into vouching for autonomy software, giving the navy a third-party record of how the code behaves at SEA.