One Sea has appointed a new secretary general, Sinikka Hartonen, to replace Paivi Haikkola who led the organisation working to develop standards and conditions for autonomous ships for five years.
Hartonen, who was already a member of the One Sea advisory board, was previously head of environment and technology at the Finnish Shipowners’ Association and has also worked for the country’s transport agency and maritime administration in various roles.
Haikkola left earlier this year to join ABB Marine Propulsion as head of operations.
Hartonen gained insights into regulatory processes at the International Maritime Organization and European Union at the Finnish Shipowners’ Association.
She said of her new role: “It is essential that progress is made swiftly on developing goal-based regulations which give precedence to safety but also allow technologies to be used efficiently.”
One Sea early on set a goal to create an environment suitable for autonomous ships by 2025.
Earlier this year, the IMO’s maritime safety committee set ambitious plans for setting definitions and operating requirements for autonomous vessels, crews and shore-based control centres.
The aim is for the roadmap to be a living document, that can change over time to take account of new developments, on the way to developing a goal-based framework code by 2025 or early 2026.
Chair of One Sea, ABB’s Eero Lehtovaara said: “This is a pivotal moment for autonomous shipping, in terms of its adoption and regulatory oversight.”
