▲ Mitsui OSK Lines' Mikage succeeds in fully autonomous operation (Photo source: Mitsui OSK Lines)



Mitsui OSK Line's 'Mikage' Succeeds 298km Unmanned Autonomous Operation
By 2040, more than half of Japanese ships will be equipped with fully autonomous navigation technology

It appears that drivers will disappear from roads and airways as well.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, Japan is accelerating its efforts to take the lead in autonomous ship technology, aiming for commercialization by 2025.

Following the success of fully autonomous ship operation, the Japanese government plans to begin commercial operation of fully autonomous cargo ships from 2025 and to apply fully autonomous technology to more than half of Japanese ships by 2040.

Japanese shipping company Mitsui OSK Lines has succeeded in autonomous operation of a container ship for the first time in the world. It remains the world's first case of a fully autonomous ship sailing 298 km along the sea route without a single crew member on board.

Last November, a 120 TEU fully autonomous electric cargo ship developed by Norway's YARA and VARD underwent its first test run, but it was evaluated as not being fully autonomous because a crew was on board in case of an accident.

On the other hand, Japan's 194 TEU container ship 'Mikage' did not have any crew on board and used the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and lidar to conduct all processes from departure to berthing on its own. In addition, it is evaluated to have reached the first level 4 fully autonomous operation because it lowered a line to a port worker using a drone mounted on the ship and completed the mooring.

The autonomous operation of 'Mikage' is part of the autonomous ship project 'MEGRURI2040' promoted by the shipping company 'Mitsui', private companies, and the non-profit organization Nippon Foundation. Launched in 2020, 'MEGRURI2040' is a project aimed at developing universal technologies for autonomous ships, automating improvement work, etc., and many ships and companies participated.

The Nippon Foundation, which has supported Japan's fully autonomous ship development project since 2020, announced that it expects economic benefits of approximately 1 trillion yen (approximately 10.37 trillion won) by 2040 through the introduction of fully autonomous ships.

In February 2022, the 204 TEU container ship 'Suzaku' began a test run on the approximately 380 km route between Tokyo Bay and Ise Bay. This area is considered one of the most heavily trafficked areas in Japan's waters, and the Japanese government has been working to introduce the development and operation of fully autonomous cargo ships for the past five years.

Meanwhile, autonomous navigation technology is also being developed at an accelerated pace in Europe and China, and companies such as Rolls-Royce are actively entering the market. The Korean government announced a plan to invest 160 billion won in 2020 to develop a three-stage autonomous navigation ship by 2025 and a fully autonomous ship after 2025.

An autonomous ship is a ship that operates without human assistance, like a self-driving car, by identifying weather conditions, surrounding ships, and threats such as reefs and maritime obstacles.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has divided the autonomy levels of these autonomous ships into four levels. Level 1 is a level that supports crew decision-making, Level 2 is a level that allows remote control but requires crew on board, Level 3 is a level that allows remote control without crew on board, and Level 4 is a fully autonomous level.

This technology is expected to improve labor and operational efficiency and reduce accident losses. According to the European Maritime Safety Agency, 62% of the 880 maritime ship accidents that occurred between 2011 and 2015 were caused by human error. If autonomous navigation is implemented, insurance premiums and cost losses due to maritime accidents are expected to decrease significantly. It is also expected to solve the labor shortage caused by the decrease in the labor force and aging population.