2 Japanese Consortia Successfully Demonstrate the World’s First Unmanned Ship Navigation Systems Supported by The Nippon Foundation (1)
Two Japanese consortia, one led by Marubeni Corp. and the other by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., have successfully demonstrated fully autonomous navigation systems on a tourist boat and a large car ferry, respectively, for the first time in the world.
They are the first two groups to demonstrate the technologies among the five consortia participating in the Joint Technological Development Program for the Demonstration of Unmanned Ship, dubbed “MEGURI 2040,” sponsored by The Nippon Foundation.
The project envisions putting unmanned ships into commercial service in 2025 and making half of Japan’s domestic coastal ships crewless by 2040. All five groups are conducting demonstrations of their crewless navigation technologies between January and March 2022.
Under the Marubeni-led consortium which also includes Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding Co., Tryangle Inc. and the City of Yokosuka, it took about 10 minutes for the 19-ton tourist boat “Sea Friend” to autonomously navigate a 1.7-kilometer route from Shin-Mikasa Pier to Sarushima Island in Yokosuka, west of Tokyo, on January 11.
This was the world’s first successful demonstration of crewless navigation on a small tourist boat, according to the foundation and consortium. The autonomous operation was conducted with the boat’s crew onboard to ensure safety while complying with laws and regulations.
The tourist boat is equipped with various sensors including three cameras that use image analysis to detect other ships, a global navigation satellite system, and an automatic identification system. The system that uses sensor data to detect other ships and obstacles processes that information and sends it to the autonomous navigation system, which automatically navigates around the obstacles.
The crewless system also handles docking and departure, a challenging part of navigation even for manned crews, with automated throttle levers on the bridge making repeated, incremental movements.
There are currently approximately 2,000 tourist boats operating in Japan, and these boats are also used by local residents as a means of transportation to and from offshore islands.
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s Maritime Bureau, the number of crew members operating these vessels declined by 30 percent over the past 20 years to roughly 7,000, resulting in crew shortages and increased workload per crew member.
The application of crewless navigation technologies is expected to allow these small boats to operate across the nation and alleviate Japan’s shortage of seafarers, more than half of whom are over the age of 50.
Demonstration of the autonomous navigation system “is actually just a starting point,” said Mr. Mitsuyuki Unno, executive director of The Nippon Foundation, adding: “Going forward, we are aiming to put unmanned ships into commercial service by 2025, and by using this globally trailblazing technology, we hope to play a leading role in creating international rules” governing crewless shipping in international waters.
(To be continued)
