ADVERTISEMENT
bottlenecks plaguing the global economy. Domestic vessels
account for 40 percent of Japan’s logistical network. They are
credited for transporting large-scale items such as construction
materials across the Japanese archipelago.
In Japan, the maritime industry is feeling the effects ofa rapidly ageing population and a severe labour crunch.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport
and Tourism, there were 28,435 sailors employed in coastal
shipping as of 2019. But almost half of them are over 50 and
this creates further repercussions for safety. It’s believed that
70 t percent of maritime accidents are a result of human
erro ly autonomous vessels are seen as an effective way
to r the number of ocean accidents and the workload for
Jap geing seafarers.
I ving the technical capability of the industry is a partof a wider logistical reform that carries cost savings to other
sectors reliant on container shipments.
Mr Masanori Mu Mitsubishi Research Institute saysfully autonomous v s can provide 24/7 services without
crews which will inc revenue potential. This could play
a role in increasing ability of shipping routes to remote
islands which are c tly suffering from cost issues.
Mr Muto says R&D in autonomous vessels also gives theJapanese maritime industry a competitive edge that could
see players outside the sector investing in fully autonomous
vessels as a high value added product. “Fully autonomous
vessels couldbeusedforhomedeliverytocoastalandremote
island areas. Theycouldalsobeusedtosupporttheoffshore
wind farms thatareexpectedtobeconstructedandoperatedin
Japan’s EEZsinthefuture.”
The Nippon Foundation estimates that if 50 percent of the
current domestic fleet are converted into autonomous vessels,
it would contribute $8 billion (USD) to the Japanese economy.
Takeru Suzuki from Mitsui OSK Lines’ smart shipping division
says the major appeal of the project is enhancing the level of
safety through the integration of technology. He says the only
way fully automated vessels can take off is by reducing the
initial cost of the technology in order to make it profitable for
shipping businesses to pursue.
Ships cost millions to build and maintain and shipping delays
caused by accide an result in milli f dollars being
lost. Improved sa erformance is ted to bring down
insurance premiu nd ultimately c vings to consumers.
Long before th et of the covid- ndemic the industry
was losing its app young people. sation could be the
bait that attracts a younger tech savvy generation of seafarers
who no longer need to set foot on a ship. Executive Director of
the Intern l Association of Maritime Universities, Takeshi
Nakazaw maritime education for fully autonomous ships
will requir re seafarers to be able to deal with unforeseen
problems I systems cannot. This means maritime education
will shift b just on board training to learning how to handle
ships with different levels of automation and working with AI, ICT
and ship experts to solve problems as they arise.THE NEED FOR LEGAL FRAMEWORKS
As Japan races to develop fully autonomous vessels the legal
system is left to play catch up. Current regulations in Japan
do not allow fully autonomous vessels to operate without
someone on board. Mr Kengo Minami from Nihon University’s
College of Law says there is the complicated task of amending
current maritime laws such as the Seafarer Law, Ship Officers
and Small Vessel Pilots Law as well as the Ship Safety Law. He
believes that without laws governing remotely piloted vessels, a
licensing system should be considered.
Another major point of contention is accident liability in the
case of a collision between autonomous vessels and regular
ships which does not cover the case of a self navigating, fully
autonomous vessel.A VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Japan is a leader in the realm of fully autonomous shipping.
The project’s technological milestones aim to lead the way
for international standards conducive to the newly developed
technology.
Mr Unno believes there is no limit to what fully autonomous
ships can achieve. The hurdles posed by gruelling preliminary
verification tests has not deterred the consortium from
envisioning a future where Japan and the international community
harnesses the potential of these burgeoning vessels.Infrared cameras that can detect other
ships even in darkness (SOLEIL ferry)Remoteoperationatthe Fleet
OperationCenter(Chiba,Japan)