Joining the Technological Wave
Japan has ambitiously engineered a plan to solidify its position as a pioneering figure in autonomous navigation. This project, fondly dubbed MEGURI2040, aspires to inaugurate full-scale commercial operation of fully autonomous ship technology by 2025. Initiated by the Nippon Foundation in 2020, the project’s vision has started to bear fruition, completing several successful demonstration tests on a variety of ships along Japanese coastal waters.
Building the Bridge for the Future
In the face of social issues such as an aging population and waning interest from younger generations toward maritime careers, Japan sees autonomous technology as a promising solution. As predictions suggest, maritime trade volumes could triple by 2050, which would exacerbate the current global shortage of skilled crew. Coastal shipping is expected to bear the brunt of this shortage, thus accentuating the urgency for technological intervention to mitigate both the crew shortage and the risk of human errors in navigation.
Spearheading Innovation
NYK Group’s R&D subsidiary MTI along with Japan Maritime Science leads the initiative, collaborating with the “Designing the Future of Fully Autonomous Ships Plus” consortium of 51 Japan-based organizations and Tel Aviv-based maritime technology company Orca AI. The consortium aims to elevate the project to new technological heights, thereby addressing the impending shortage of experienced crew and the risk of human errors in navigation.
Record-Breaking Achievements
The inaugural phase of MEGURI2040 was filled with remarkable accomplishments including six demonstrations on various vessels. These tests successfully featured the full showcase of autonomous navigation, complete with docking and undocking on a Japanese ferry and a container ship. The NYK shortsea containership, Suzaku, fully equipped with Orca AI’s automated watchkeeper, successfully navigated autonomously for roughly 98 percent of its voyage spanning 40 hours, manoeuvering around 500 other vessels.
Venturing into the Next Phase
The project now gears up for its second phase, setting its trajectory towards live demonstrations of ship-shore operations using diverse vessel types and two fleet operation centers. The ultimate aim of this phase is to achieve partial automation in autonomous navigation as a stepping stone for practical implementation by 2025. This will involve demonstrations using a specially built containership equipped with a fully autonomous operation system and a ship equipped for partially autonomous operations.
The Future Beckons
In a recent conference held in Tokyo, Yohei Sasakawa, Chairman of The Nippon Foundation highlighted the importance of a ‘sense of speed’ for innovation, espousing participants to maintain momentum towards achieving the 2025 goal. Despite recognizing potential technological and regulatory challenges, participants exhibited strong optimism thus accentuating the potential of autonomous navigation to shape the future of maritime operations.
