Japanese fully autonomous vessel project targets 2025 commercialisation

The Nippon Foundation’s MEGURI2040 project was launched in 2020 with the aim to reach a full-scale commercialisation of fully autonomous ship technology by 2025.

MEGURI2040 Phase Two will focus on demonstrating ship-shore operations using four different vessel types including a newly built container ship equipped with a fully autonomous operation system, an existing container ship, Ro-Ro vessel, and remote island route ship equipped for partial autonomous operations, as well as two fleet operation centres.

The project also includes separate work-streams relating to the standardisation of the technologies developed in the demonstration phase, as well as the reinforcement of development process infrastructure. This will entail the upgrading of simulation technology, generalizing risk assessments, etc.

The final stage of the project will focus on the commercialisation of an autonomous navigation system (including a land-based monitoring system) and establish a certification scheme necessary to commercialise the system.

The first phase of MEGURI2040 culminated in May 2022 with the successful autonomous trial voyage of the 749-gt NYK shortsea containership Suzaku in congested waters off Japan’s east coast. Equipped with Orca AI’s automated watchkeeper, to replace the human lookout, the vessel achieved 40 hours of navigation with complete autonomy, or around 98% of the voyage between Tokyo Bay and the port of Tsumatsusaka in Ise Bay. Data from the integrated display was live streamed to the fleet operations centre in Tokyo, with the ship performing 107 collision avoidance manoeuvres and avoiding up to 500 other vessels en route.

The project comprising 51 Japan-based companies that will work together on the next phase of MEGURI2040.