Report: NYK to test autonomous containership on transpacific voyage

For safety purposes, a human crew would be on standby while an NYK Line container vessel self-sails across the Pacific Ocean sometime in 2019, according to a report from Bloomberg Technology.    Tokyo-based shipping conglomerate Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha and its container carrier subsidiary NYK Line are planning a test of autonomous vessel technology that could involve the remote-controlled steering of a large containership between Japan and North America.
   According to a report from Bloomberg Technology, a crew would be on standby as a containership self-sails across the Pacific Ocean sometime in 2019.
   NYK said that it has been working since last year on studying crash avoidance techniques for autonomous ships with radar manufacturer Furuno Electric Co. and communication equipment-makers Japan Radio Co. and Tokyo Keiki Inc., according to Bloomberg.
   NYK is at least the third Japanese company to begin working on self-driving container ships, following “K” Line and Mitsui OSK Line (MOL). In late May, MOL and Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuild Co. announced they’re developing a joint technological concept for autonomous ocean transport system via a grant through the Japanese government.
   In addition, Norwegian firm Yara International says that it’s planning to build a $12 million, battery-powered 100-120 TEU containership to move containers to the nearby ocean ports of Brevik and Larvik. A small crew would initially be onboard to operate the ship, but the vessel would be fully autonomous by 2019 or 2020, Yara has said.
   In June, the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization began mapping out how existing international regulations should be applied to the rapidly emerging field of self-driving ships and autonomous maritime technologies.
   Autonomous and remote-controlled cargo vessels are expected to enter the market no later than 2020, according to the Advanced Autonomous Waterborne Applications Initiative, a project researching the technology and regulatory issues surrounding remote and self-driving ships.