The Nippon Foundation, along with partners Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and Shin Nihonkai Ferry have successfully completed a demonstration test of what is believed to be the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation systems on a 222m ro-pax ferry.
This demonstration was part of MEGURI 2040, a project promoting the development of fully autonomous vessels supported by The Nippon Foundation. The test was carried out on the ferry Soleil, with autonomous port berthing and unberthing using turning and reversing movements and high-speed navigation at up to 26 knots. Other new technologies included in the advanced fully autonomous operation system include sensors to detect other ships using infrared cameras, a remote engine monitoring system, and a cyber security system. These advances in fully autonomous ship navigation are seen as a significant step toward safer and more efficient coastal shipping.
The autonomous system is intended to address issues including crew shortages and accident prevention. Through the project, Japan expects to demonstrate its advanced technologies in areas including ICT, AI, and image analysis.
The Nippon Foundation launched the MEGURI 2040 fully autonomous ship navigation project in February 2020 through support for five consortia, which will all be conducting demonstration tests to verify their fully autonomous navigation system concepts in the first quarter of 2022.
The newly built SOLEIL began navigating with an onboard crew on July 1, 2021, compiling data for the development of the fully autonomous ship navigation system. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding is responsible for the integration of the system, and Shin Nihonkai Ferry s in charge of setting the vessel’s system requirements and conducting the demonstration test.
The demonstration was conducted on a 240km route from Shinmoji (Northern Kyushu) to Iyonada, which takes approximately seven hours, at a maximum speed of 26 knots. The test vessel was equipped with a high-precision sensor image analysis system with infrared cameras that can detect other ships even in darkness, a SUPER BRIDGE-X automated ship navigation system that includes an automated avoidance function, and an advanced automated port berthing/unberthing operation system that can perform turning and reversing movements that are even difficult for manned vessels. Additional systems being trialled include enhanced engine monitoring technologies and advanced data security.
Mitsuyuki Unno, Executive Director, The Nippon Foundation, said: “This was the world’s first fully autonomous ship navigation of a large vessel of over 200m in length with a maximum running speed of 26 knots, and I hope this will lead to further development toward practical use. There are still many issues to be resolved, however, and I believe today’s results will be a guide toward the creation of international rules for fully autonomous vessels.”
Naoki Ueda, EVP Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, said: “This demonstration test greatly accelerated the development of fully autonomous ship navigation systems using many advanced technologies including artificial intelligence. We will continue to develop technologies using the valuable knowledge gained to achieve safety and high quality service for passenger ferries, which play an important role in supporting marine transportation in the island nation of Japan.”
Masami Sasaki, Executive Director, Shin Nihonkai Ferry, said: “We are honoured to be involved in the development of a fully autonomous ship navigation system that represents the future of Japan’s shipping industry. As a passenger ferry company, we have high expectations for the social application and widespread use of fully autonomous operation as one of the solutions to issues including human error and crew labour savings.”
