INTERNATIONAL Marine News Irish fisheries


authority issues notice regarding safe access and boarding ladders on vessels


German consortium launches research project on


autonomous vessel integration in port operations


Germany's Hamburg Port Authority, together with the Fraunhofer Center for Maritime Logistics and Services (Fraunhofer CML) and Kongsberg Maritime Germany, has launched a project that seeks to safely integrate semi-autonomous and remotely


Alex Gregg-Smith to become IACS Council Chair from July 2026 The Council of the International


Association of Classification Societies (IACS) has announced the election of Alex Gregg-Smith to the position of IACS Chair. Gregg-Smith will assume the role on 1 July and his term of office will run until 31 December 2027.


On being selected unanimously by his peers in the Association, Gregg-Smith commented, “The maritime industry is at a crucial stage in its technical, digital and environmental evolution.


Gregg-Smith has over twenty years’ experience with Bureau Veritas, as well as extensive experience in leadership roles in both shipyards and shipowners. He has also recently taken over the position of President, Marine & Offshore, Bureau Veritas, and is a dual UK-French national.


12 | ISSUE 115 | MAR 2026 | THE REPORT


Ireland’s Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has published a new fisheries information notice (FIN) for fishing vessel masters on safe access and boarding ladders. Masters of fishing vessels are required to facilitate the safe embarkation and disembarkation of sea-fisheries protection officers (SFPOs), in port and at sea, for the purpose of carrying out official controls. Where access to a fishing vessel requires a climb of 1.5 metres or more, masters must provide a compliant boarding ladder.


The FIN outlines the responsibilities of vessel masters during boarding and disembarkation and sets out the technical specifications applicable to boarding ladders. All vessel masters should review the FIN and familiarise themselves with their obligations. Masters with boarding ladders should ensure that ladders are properly maintained and comply with the material, spacing, and structural requirements outlined in the FIN.


Download the information notice at https://bit.ly/4pLGciV.


monitored, low-emission waterborne vehicles such as autonomous surface vessels into complex port environments.


The iPORTUS project is funded with approximately €1.7 million (US$2 million) by the German Federal Ministry for Transport under the IHATEC II funding programme. The project will focus on ensuring nautical safety and cyber security, developing a high degree of autonomy for the deployed systems, and integrating them into a remote operations centre (ROC).


The project seeks to establish regulatory foundations for approval procedures and economic decision-making, thereby enabling the future routine operation of autonomous watercraft in German ports.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148  |  Page 149  |  Page 150  |  Page 151  |  Page 152  |  Page 153  |  Page 154  |  Page 155  |  Page 156