Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of awarding the first certification for a remotely operated and unmanned vessel under the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Workboat Code Edition 3 Annex 2 to the ACUA Ocean PIONEER.

A substantial number of unmanned systems are operated remotely both within the UK and internationally under Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) certification, including compliance with the latest iteration of the Workboat Code. Where appropriate, the Department actively collaborates with manufacturers and operators of these systems to explore and address synergies between civilian and military applications, ensuring alignment with operational requirements and advancing innovation in this evolving domain.