Maria Pia Benosa, Speaker at 2022 ASIL Annual Meeting in Washington, DC

Maria Pia Benosa of the CIL Ocean Law and Policy Team joined a panel discussion on legal and technological developments relating to unmanned vessels at the 2022 ASIL Annual Meeting in Washington, DC from 6-9 April, 2022 themed ‘Personalizing International Law’. Entitled “Uncharted Waters: Legal considerations involving unmanned vessels and autonomy at sea”, the panel considered questions on, among others, how remotely operated or fully autonomous vessels may comply with the due regard obligation under the law of the sea, and how principles of sovereign immunity under may apply to vessels in governmental non-commercial service. Moderated by ASIL Law of the Sea Interest Group Co-Chair Margaret Materna (US Navy Office of the JAG – National Security Law Division), other panel members included Joel Coito (US Coast Guard Office of Maritime and International Law), Saiful Karim (Queensland University of Technology) and Michael Smitsky (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International).