A consortium consisting of Marubeni Corporation , Tryangle , Mitsui E&S Shipbuilding , and the City of Yokosuka applied to and secured a place in the “Joint Technological Development Programme for the Demonstration of Unmanned Ships – MEGURI2040” led by The Nippon Foundation in February 2020, and have 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 New- Mikasa 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.
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.
(*) The autonomous operation was conducted with the ship crew onboard to ensure safety while complying with laws and regulations.
