Article

First autonomous cargo ship faces 236-mile test in February


published on 1 September 2021 146 -

Text by Bloomberg, picture by The Nippon Foundation

In just two decades from now, half of all domestic ships plying Japan’s coastal waters may be piloting themselves. That’s the ambitious goal of the Nippon Foundation, a public-interest organization backing the country’s development of ocean-traversing autonomous ships. It aims to see crewless ships make up 50% of Japan’s local fleet by 2040.

With the foundation’s backing, a group that includes Japan’s largest shipping company, Nippon Yusen KK, plans to have a container ship pilot itself from Tokyo Bay to Ise, a coastal city in central Mie prefecture, in February. According to Nippon Yusen, the 380 kilometer (236 mile) voyage will be the world’s first test of an autonomous ship in an area with heavy marine traffic.

The global market for autonomous shipping could grow to be worth around $166 billion by 2030. “When it comes to the automation of ships, our mission is to have Japan lead the rest of the world,” Satoru Kuwahara, a general manager at Nippon Yusen subsidiary Japan Marine Science Inc. said in interview Thursday.

Kuwahara, a captain himself, says there’s a real need for autonomous ships in Japan as the country’s workforce shrinks and rapidly ages. In the nation’s domestic tanker industry, for example, roughly 40% of crew are 55 years or older, according to a recent survey.

The Nippon Foundation estimates that taking into account factors like artificial intelligence, which should improve efficiencies, the development of unmanned ships will have a positive impact of about 1 trillion yen ($9 billion) for Japan’s economy in 2040.

There are other foreseeable benefits too, such as lower insurance premiums and improved safety, Kuwahara said.

Studies on shipping industry safety show that around 70% of maritime accidents are caused by human error. “With the issue of Japan’s shrinking workforce in mind, there’s growing need for these technologies to uphold safety,” he said.

For the February test run, information on everything from weather to radar data points will be collected and crunched at a support center back on land. Directions will then be fed back to the ship. In the case of an upset, the vessel’s steering can be taken over remotely from the center.

Kuwahara says he’s confident such technology will be ready to be put into practical use by 2025. The “immense challenge” will be developing a regulatory environment and industry standards around autonomous shipping by then, he said.

For now, Kuwahara and others are gearing up for the 2022 trial run, running simulations at a technology center east of Tokyo.

“We need this technology to be recognized, otherwise actual implementation in society won’t move forward,” Kuwahara said. “As a first demonstration, we can’t fail.”

Join the conversation...

Login or register to write comments and join the discussion!
LV
Louis Vest Houston Pilots, USA
on 4 September 2021, 15:16 UTC

What's it really look like? How big? Is it going to dock itself?
0

Read more...

Video Introducing the *new* Pilot boat Golden Gate!

published on 26 September 2023

Following the namesake of its predecessor, the new P/V Golden Gate will provide high speed service for the San Francisco Bar Pilots Association.
Servicing the San Francisco Bay, and taking Pilots to the Off-shore station boat.
This new state of the art vessel is equipped with the latest in low emissions technology from MAN engines and Hamilton water jets. This is the first first in a new generation of pilot vessels that will meet CARB tier 4 emission requirements. All while being more fuel...

0

Video Pilot Boat By Forth Railway Bridge

published on 30 September 2022

0

Article Maryland Pilots Places Order for Another Baltimore Class Launch from

published on 26 May 2023

The Association of Maryland Pilots has ordered a new pilot boat from Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation.

0

Video Bangkok Port - Pilot

published on 26 August 2020

Explore working hours with Pilot 130 at Bangkok port, Thailand.

0

Video Tanker contacted embankment in Hamburg, seriously damaged

published on 7 December 2020

Product tanker NORTHSEA RATIONAL in load contacted embankment in Neumuelen, Hamburg, in the morning Nov 25, while maneuvering to berth, according to FleetMon.
It stated: “Tanker sustained serious damages to starboard bow, cause of accident yet unknown.
“She was berthed after accident, and as of evening Nov 25, remained, berthed. There was no hull breach in cargo tanks area, no cargo loss reported.”

0

Opinion A Corrected Version on Positioning of Pivot Point

by Capt. Santosha K. Nayak - published on 18 November 2020

Understanding the fundamentals of the pivot point is highly required for understanding the alteration of the courses. Pivot point is an imaginary point on the vessel which turns on a circular path on the perimeter of vessel’s turning circle when the vessel makes a turn. The knowledge about the position of the pivot point in a manoeuvring situation provides the ship handler with the information on the geometry of motion of the ship.

0

Video Motor Pandu Makassar / Pilot Boat, Pandu MT.

published on 12 March 2024

Kepanduan Makassar, Pandu MT. Yellow Park melewati pintu kapal untuk bersandar⛴️⚓️
#ship #marine #tugboat
⛴️⚓️⛵️#ship #marine #speedboat #boat #maritime #pilotboat #pilot #harbour #sea #seafarer #seaman #sailor #island #vacation #holiday #tugboat #viral #viralvideo #fyp #fypシ ⛴️⚓️⛵️

0

Article Pilot on the bridge

by Gard AS - published on 14 October 2021

A good working relationship with the pilot, effective Master Pilot Information Exchange at the start of the pilotage followed by well performing Bridge Resource Management during the pilotage passage, are important factors in a successful pilotage.

0

Article Maritime Pilot Tribute

by Marine-Pilots.com - published on 9 December 2019

One of the most grandiose video about Marine Pilots' work. Must see!

0