7OCT

DNV and Fassmer aim to class robot ships

2 min read

12:59UTC

Norwegian classification society DNV and German yard Fassmer agreed at SMM in Hamburg to work towards approval in principle for autonomous and remotely operated naval vessels.

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Key takeaway

DNV is offering Fassmer commercial autonomy certification for naval vessels.

DNV, the Norwegian ship-classification society, and the German yard Fassmer signed a memorandum at the SMM shipbuilding fair in Hamburg, announced on 10 September, covering autonomous and remotely operated naval and government vessels⁠¹. They aim for an approval in principle, a class society's early endorsement of a design. The work runs under DNV's AROS (Autonomous and Remotely Operated Ships) rules, in force since January 2025. Rasmus Stute of DNV said autonomy is "becoming one of the key pillars in defence"⁠².

Britain took a different route in August, asking industry how to build a Royal Navy authority to certify uncrewed vessels. In Germany a commercial class society is offering a builder the same assurance before a navy has publicly asked for it. A yard holding approval in principle can show a navy buyer an outside check on its design before that navy has its own rules to apply.

Deep Analysis

In plain English

A class society is an independent body that inspects ships and certifies they are built to safety standards. DNV is one, based in Norway. In early September it signed an agreement with Fassmer, a German shipyard, to work out how to approve warships and government boats that sail with no crew aboard, or with people controlling them from land. Navies have not yet said they will use the result.

Deep Analysis

Root Causes

A shipyard that wants to sell an uncrewed vessel needs someone to say the design is safe before a customer will commit. Class societies such as DNV do that for civil ships, and AROS extends the method to ships with no crew aboard or with remote operators.

The memorandum applies AROS to naval and government vessels, where the customer is a state with its own rules. Both firms gain a head start if navies later adopt the framework.

What could happen next?

Consequence
If an approval in principle is issued, Fassmer can show a design a recognised body has reviewed, which helps in tenders.
Risk
A navy that keeps certification in-house may ignore the class-society route, leaving the approval with little buyer value.

Source Landscape

This story draws on neutral-leaning sources

Primary parallel: The Titanic sank in April 1912, and the first International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea was drawn up in 1914. Rules for a new kind of ship tend to arrive once builders and buyers need a shared standard. DNV and Fassmer are drafting that standard for uncrewed naval hulls before a navy asks.

Counter-parallel: That convention excludes ships of war, which navies certify themselves. A class society's approval in principle may therefore carry weight with a builder and an insurer without binding any navy.

An approval in principle is an early step and carries no price in the report. For Fassmer, it reduces risk for a design before a buyer has been named. For DNV, it extends a service into a new customer group.

The real value depends on whether navies accept the approval. None has said it will.

Sources:DNV

Mentions:RMS Titanic →DNV →Rasmus Stute →Germany →Norway →Royal Navy →SMM →AROS →Fassmer →Safety of Life at Sea Convention →Hamburg →

First Reported In

Update #13 · US Navy orders 30 robot boats from 3 yards

DNV· 7 Oct 2026

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Different Perspectives

DNV and Fassmer

Signed a memorandum at SMM in Hamburg, announced on 10 September, to seek an approval in principle for autonomous naval vessels. DNV's Rasmus Stute said autonomy is "becoming one of the key pillars in defence".

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