Shipping companies in Japan and abroad are developing self-operating technology for vessels, as the transport ministry is looking to have Japanese corporations take the initiative to introduce international standards for automatic navigation systems.
Autonomous tests
A simulation was conducted to see if the collision prevention system that is being developed can make as appropriate judgment as a “skilled” captain. The system will be improved based on the results, so it can be tested on a ship by the end of 2019.
Aggressive research activities are now being carried out in the shipping industry, such as in the auto industry, to allow vessels to navigate waters on their own, with firms across the world successively starting tests of self-sailing technologies.
The move is aimed at lessening the burdens on the crew to improve safety with an eye on developing unmanned vessels in the future.
The need
The number of merchant vessels for 2015 rose to 1.5 times that for 1980 as the Malacca Strait and other major channels have become increasingly congested.
As nearly half of vessel collision cases are said to be attributed to human error, shipping companies have begun to develop the self-operating technology based on advanced ICT to significantly reduce accidents.
Japanese Interest
The Japanese transport ministry is proceeding with discussions in hopes of putting automatic sailing technology into practical use by 2025.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. started full-scale research in November 2016 and plans to carry out a joint trial of a new sensor to detect obstacles with Britain’s Rolls-Royce Marine in the Seto Inland Sea by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd. (“K” Line) is collecting navigation data from 100 vessels equipped with a special system.
The competition
Companies outside Japan are also actively working to develop automatic ship operation systems.
The Norwegian fertilizer maker Yara International ASA and other parties are looking to commercializing a technology to remotely control ships from inland facilities by 2019, Rolls-Royce aims to realize an unmanned vessel operation system by 2035.
Ministry Working to Set International Standards
In December, the Japanese transport ministry began discussions on self-operating vessels.
With the aim of making available a system to remotely control part of operations of ships by 2025, the ministry will conduct communications and other tests jointly with private businesses in fiscal 2018 starting in April.
Tokyo intends to make Japan’s automated navigation system specifications international standards, as the U.N.-run International Maritime Organization is expected to begin developing international rules on systems and equipment this year.
Milestones
However, there remain many obstacles to overcome in order to bring automated navigation systems into practical use.
In the ocean, vessels can approach from all directions. Ships’ operations are strongly affected by wind and waves, making it difficult to establish preset patterns for avoiding obstacles.
In addition, as vessels are much larger and heavier than cars and have no brakes, they cannot stop or turn suddenly.
“The current technology has already reached a level where unmanned ships are able to navigate waters with no objects around them,” said Etsuro Shimizu, a control engineering professor at the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology.
“But when other vessels are operating nearby, they need to be visually checked by the crew,” he said. “There are high hurdles to introducing unmanned ships.”
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Source: The Asahi Shimbun
