Autonomous vessels, commonly known as Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS), are in the focus of interest of researchers and developers alike. Several (small-scale) autonomous vessels, such as surveillance ships and ferries, are already operational, but many legal questions have not yet been answered (sufficiently).
- Date
- Thursday 19 Jun 2025, 13:00 - Friday 20 Jun 2025, 16:05
- Type
- Seminar
- Spoken Language
- English
- Room
- Forum theater
- Building
- Van der Goot Building
- Location
- Campus Woudestein
The MASS Rotterdam Conference will delve into these legal questions. What is the impact of the recent European AI Act on the development of autonomous vessels? What is the purpose and scope of the MASS Code that IMO is developing? What consequences may autonomous vessels have for the charterparties and contracts of carriage in use today? How will the pilotage of autonomous vessels work, and what implications might there be for the investigation of maritime casualties involving MASS? A proper legal analysis of these and other questions requires an understanding of the technical realities.
The MASS Rotterdam Conference will therefore also introduce an insight in the technology used in autonomous ships. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will obviously play a role, but which type of AI, with which characteristics? What is the situation in the field of automated collision avoidance and COLREGS compliance?
Finally, the MASS Rotterdam Conference will be looking at the perspective of other interested parties. How do the shipyards that will be designing and building autonomous ships approach possible risks and liabilities? What does it take to convince regulators that the technology is mature enough to allow it to be used in day-to-day practice?
A panel of expert speakers will answer these questions during a two day conference in the world port city of Rotterdam.
We are pleased to invite you to special presentations by, among others, Prof. Dr. Mihael Miso Mudric, Dr. Frank Stevens and Capt. Jeroen Weyn. In these presentations a large range of topics such as the EU AI Act and its implications for shipping and digital navigation will be covered.
The Conference is accredited by the 'Orde van Vlaamse Balies' (OVB) for 8 points.
Event Details:
- Date: June 19th and 20th, 2025
- Time:
- June 19, 2025 from 13:00-17:00 (with a conference dinner at 19:00)
- June 20th 2025 from 09:00 – 16:05.
- Location:
- The presentations will take place in the 'Forum' lecture theatre of the Van Der Goot-building on the campus of Erasmus University.
- The Conference Dinner will take place at the Koninklijke Roei- en Zeilvereeniging ’De Maas’ in Rotterdam.
- Price: the registration fee for his two day Conference is € 345.
Register for this event using the form below.
Registration form
Download the programme
Some of the speakers:
The EU AI Act and shipping
Prof. Dr. Michael Mišo Mudrić is an Associate Professor of Maritime and Transport Law at the University of Zagreb and an arbitrator at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce. He is the Vice-President of the Croatian Maritime Law Association, actively participates in international working groups on maritime law and autonomous shipping, and leads the research project Legal Framework for Autonomous Vehicles. Additionally, he has authored over 90 publications and has taught in the LL.M. program in Maritime and Transport Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Liability of autonomous ships
Dr. Frank Stevens is an Associate Professor at the Erasmus School of Law and the Program Director of the Master in Commercial Law, including the specialization in Maritime and Transport Law. He has extensive practical experience in transport and maritime law and served as President of the Belgian Maritime Law Association from 2015 to 2019. Additionally, he is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal for International Trade and Transport Law and the author of various publications, including textbooks on sea transport and liability limitation.
Marine accident investigation
Capt Jeroen Weyn has been a member of the Nautical Commission to the Court of Commerce of Antwerp (Naucom) since 2016 and became chairman in 2023.
His educational background was originally in physics and mathematics, studies he left, however, to follow the call of the sea. During his ten years at sea he rose through the ranks from sailor to master, and stepped ashore in 2016 to become full-time court surveyor. Since 2024, he is also a licensed mediator in civil and commercial matters.
MASS and maritime decarbonisation
Jolien is a maritime lawyer and partner with van Traa Advocaten N.V. and guest lecturer at the Erasmus School of Law in Rotterdam. She is actively involved in the maritime decarbonisation debate, inter alia as member of the CMI IWG on Maritime Decarbonisation.
Collision avoidance and COLREGS compliance algorithms
Prof.dr. Rudy Negenborn is head of the Section Transport Engineering & Logistics and leads the Researchlab Autonomous Shipping (RAS) at Delft University of Technology.
Negenborn's research interests include automatic control/AI and coordination of transport technology, with a focus on smart shipping and smart logistics applications. With his team, he proposes multi-agent and model predictive control approaches that benefit from real-time information and communication potential. He has over 20 years of teaching and research experience in these directions and is involved in (interdisciplinary) NWO, EU and industry funded research, such as NOVIMOVE, AutoBarge, Path2Zero, and AVATAR.
Digital pilotage
Aslı is an Assistant Professor of University of Copenhagen Faculty of Law Center for Private Governance (CEPRI) and Shipping and Ocean Law Group (SHOC). Her research specifically focuses on digitalization and decarbonization in shipping from a private law perspective and she enjoys collaborating with various actors in shipping and interdisciplinary research involving various aspects of digitalisation of shipping.
She holds a PhD from the University of Exeter and an LLM in Maritime Law with distinction from the same university. Aslı formerly worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher at CEPRI and her project predominantly focused on the management and liability aspects of the commercial implementation of remotely-controlled and autonomous ships.
Locations
The conference will take place in the Forum Theater, located in the Van der Goot building on the Woudestein Campus of Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam.
The first day will conclude with dinner at the Royal Rowing and Sailing Association “De Maas,” a historic location on the Maas River in Rotterdam.
Hotel suggestions
Novotel Rotterdam Brainpark
- Address: K.P. van der Mandelelaan 150, 3062 MB Rotterdam
- Within walking distance of the university and featuring spacious rooms and business facilities
- Price: approx. €160 (Participants can mention 'Erasmus School of Law' when booking for a 12% discount)
Thon Hotel Rotterdam
- Centrally located and within walking distance of the dinner venue Royal Rowing and Sailing Association “De Maas”
- Address: Willemsplein 1, 3016 DN Rotterdam
- Price: approx. €160
Mainport Hotel Rotterdam
- A luxury 5-star hotel, located in a central location to both Rotterdam Central Station and Erasmus University Rotterdam
- Address: Leuvehaven 77, 3011 EA Rotterdam
- Price: approx. €275
Important information about hotel accommodation
Participants of the MASS Rotterdam Conference 2025 can book their own hotel accommodation. We recommend doing so early, as accommodations in Rotterdam can fill up quickly at this time of year. Many hotels offer flexible cancellation policies.
Guests are responsible for booking and paying for a hotel room themselves. Please check the general and cancellation policies carefully before making a booking.
The organization of the MASS Rotterdam Conference 2025 bears no liability for any errors and/or price changes. Of course, participants are free to choose accommodation other than the recommended hotels.
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