The non-mandatory MASS Code is on track for adoption at IMO MSC in May 2026 – but adoption is just the starting line. This presentation provides a practitioner’s perspective on what the Code actually requires, where the gaps remain and what operators, technology developers and investors need to understand about the road to mandatory adoption (targeted July 2030, entry into force January 2032). This presentation will cover: what the MASS Code covers (and what it doesn’t): the goal-based structure, the four degrees of autonomy and the 18+ chapters that will shape commercial deployment; the experience-building phase (EBP): what it means, how it will work post-adoption in December 2026, and why it matters for first movers; from code to capital: what autonomous vessel developers and investors need to understand about the Code’s scope, timelines and remaining ambiguities before committing capital – and how regulatory clarity directly affects insurance, classification and deal structure; and the human element question: why Chapter 15 was the hardest to finalize, and how crewing and remote operations requirements will shape business models.