A consortium consisting of Marubeni Corporation, Tryangle, Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding and the City of Yokosuka successfully completed a pilot project focusing on autonomous ship operations.
Specifically, under the “Joint Technological Development Programme for the Demonstration of Unmanned Ships – MEGURI2040” led by The Nippon Foundation, partners conducted a pilot project in Yokosuka City with the aim to establish the technology for autonomous ship operations.
On this occasion, the Proof of Concept was successfully completed in a voyage route between NewMikasa Pier and Sarushima Island in Yokosuka City, in which the ship operations, including berthing, were fully automated using an existing small-sized passenger boat.
Through this Proof of Concept, the autonomous ship technology, which was applied by Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding on an existing small-sized passenger boat owned and operated by Tryangle, achieved fully autonomous ship operations including unberthing, navigation, collision avoidance and berthing.
Implementation of this autonomous ship technology from this Proof of Concept, is expected to reduce the workload of the ship crew while enhancing operational safety.
As explained, Marubeni, Tryangle, Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding, and the City of Yokosuka are aiming to use this technology and experience to effectively help contribute to a safe and sustainable society.
