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tions while preparing for future ones. Its SERTICA Vessel Reporting System (VRS) provides structured, validated, and regulation-aligned reporting, ensuring data consistency and helping shipowners stay ahead of evolving frameworks such as MRV, DCS, ETS, CII, and other decarbonisation-related requirements.As vessels become increasingly connected and software-driven, how is cyber risk being incorporated into class guides and risk assessments?As vessels become more software-driven and interconnected, cyber risk is now directly embedded within class rules rather than treated as an optional add-on. Classification societies assess both the technological safeguards and the organisational readiness needed to manage cyber threats, extending requirements into the Safety Management System and integrating guidelines such as those developed by IACS and IMO. RINA%u2019s approach combines vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and real-time threat-monitoring technologies, ensuring that cyber resilience is treated as a safety-critical function. This reflects the regulatory focus highlighted in current AI and digitalisation frameworks, where cybersecurity, data integrity, and system transparency are essential prerequisites for safe maritime automation.What is currently the biggest regulatory or safety barrier to large-scale autonomous and remotely operated vessels?The primary barrier is the absence of fully harmonised international regulations that can certify autonomous functions to the same safety assurance level expected for crewed vessels. MASS (Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships) development is advancing quickly; however, key issues, such as human oversight, liability, equivalence to existing SOLAS, COLREGs and STCW requirements, sensor validation, and redundancy standards, remain under active discussion. Projects advancing autonomy, such as those mapping regulatory gaps and preparing frameworks for higher levels of autonomy, illustrate how technological readiness is outpacing regulation. Until global rules evolve to define responsibility, approval methodologies, and governance for AI-supported decision-making, large-scale deployment of autonomous ships will remain constrained. How is the role of the traditional surveyor changing as classification societies are moving toward digitalisation?Digitalisation is transforming the surveyor from a primarily physical inspector into a hybrid technical assessor who validates both the vessel and the digital evidence supporting its condition. With AI-enabled decision support, integrated data platforms and remote-survey capabilities, surveyors can focus on interpreting insights rather than collecting them manually. Their responsibility now includes assessing data quality, verifying the performance of automated systems, understanding cyber-safety implications and ensuring that AI-driven tools align with regulatory requirements. Far from diminishing the profession, digitalisation elevates it: the surveyor becomes essential in bridging human expertise and digital intelligence, safeguarding safety as ships become more autonomous and more complex.Smart shipping192 NX