'Mikage' Coastal Container Ship Used for the Trial of Autonomous Sailing Trial
The following two points are major features of the consortium's role in the MEGURI2040 unmanned ship operation projects:
(1) The consortium conducted the sea trial with two different type of ships: a coastal containership and a coastal car ferry, aimed at using the results to develop versatile technologies by identifying similarities and differences between the two ship types.
(2) It conducted mooring tests using a drone in a move toward automated mooring operation.
Since MEGURI2040's inception in 2020, the consortium has conducted various elemental experiments to realize autonomous ship operation. In
(Consortium members and its main roles)
Company name Main roles
MOL Overall coordination, risk evaluation
(MES-S; President: Isamu Funazu, Headquarters: Chuo-ku,Tokyo ) Development of 'Judgement' and 'Ship Operation' functions
(Automated collision avoidance routing, automated ship operation in port, automated berthing/unberthing operation)
(President:Yukio Furuno ; Headquarters: Nishinomiya-shi, Hyogo Prefecture) Development of 'Cognitive' function
(Integration of information from sensors during navigation and at berthing)
(President:Takayuki Imoto ; Headquarters:Kobe -shi, Hyogo Prefecture) Provide test ship and seafarers, develop ship operation plan.
(A.L.I.; President:Daisuke Katano ; Headquarters: Minato-ku,Tokyo ) Development of mooring support technology
(Throwing a heaving line from the ship to the pier using a unmanned drone)
(President:Naotoshi Omoto ; Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku,Tokyo ) Provide test ship and seafarers, develop ship operation plan.
(President:Takashi Nakajima ; Headquarters: Minato-ku,Tokyo ) Create simulation program of collision avoidance navigation/ berthing/unberthing for testing automated function of those scene.
For autonomous navigation, the ships followed a previously formulated route using the MES-S-developed autonomous ship operation control system, in consideration of the following elements.
Accurately grasp ship location information
Various external elements such as wind and tides/currents
Ship handling performance specific to each ship (maneuverability, conditions of acceleration and deceleration)/configuration of ship handing equipment
Navigation rules applied to ships
Information on other ships and obstacles/debris on the set route was gathered by the
Autonomous berthing and unberthing require especially delicate handling, so the ship berthed and unberthed using information from the
'Automated mooring' is an element of the consortium's project. Normally, a crewmember on the ship passes the heaving line (to moor the ship in port) by throwing it to a worker on the pier. In this sea trial, the A.L.I.-developed automatic flight drone carried the line to the pier. As technology advances in the future, this is expected to become an alternative approach to mooring operations, which is a heavy burden on seafarers.
'Automated Mooring' using an Automatic
In order to develop highly versatile technologies, the consortium plans a sea trial of autonomous navigation using the coastal car ferry 'Sunflower Shiretoko,' which has different characteristics from the coastal containership.
(Plan for future sea trial)
Ship Ship type Sea trial route Schedule
Sunflower Shiretoko
(owned by MOL Ferry) Coastal car ferry From Tomakomai To OaraiFebruary 2022
The consortium continually aims to reduce the workload on seafarers and ensure safe, secure marine traffic, through MEGURI2040 initiatives to realize autonomous sailing.
(Note 1)
Please refer to
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