Certifying AEUK's ARCIMS with BMT SEAS

Requirements

Atlas Elektronk UK (AEUK) needed to validate the autonomous capabilities of its ARCIMS platform against international maritime regulations, specifically the COLREGs, to ensure operational credibility and regulatory compliance.

With increasing demand for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) in defence applications, the requirement was clear: a rigorous, repeatable, and independent assurance process that reduced reliance on costly live trials and delivered trusted certification evidence to stakeholders, including the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD).

“Establishing assurance methodology has enabled the Naval Authority to define a safe operating envelope and certification for MASS.”

Stephen Perry, UK MOD Naval Authority

Solutions

We deployed our Synthetic Environment Assurance Service (SEAS), underpinned by the DNV-certified BMT REMBRANDT simulator, to deliver simulation-led validation of ARCIMS.

Realistic virtual environments were used to test the platform’s behaviour across a variety of complex scenarios, enabling a safe and repeatable evaluation of autonomous navigation performance.

Each scenario was assessed by experienced Master Mariners, ensuring the outcomes were judged against real-world expectations and COLREGs standards.

BMT SEAS also defined a clear operational envelope for ARCIMS, capturing the boundary conditions for safe deployment.

Benefits

The project resulted in a robust body of evidence supporting ARCIMS’s autonomous decision-making and compliance with maritime regulations.

This collaborative effort with AEUK and the UK MOD set a new benchmark in autonomy assurance, establishing BMT SEAS as a principal method for MASS certification.

Not only did this reduce the need for high-risk, expensive live trials, but it also accelerated the path to operational readiness.

The approach demonstrated how trusted simulation, expert oversight, and strategic collaboration can enable safe, certifiable innovation in maritime autonomy.