Japanese transport operator Kokusai Ryobi Ferry has confirmed that one of its vessels was recently certified by the Japanese Government as a passenger ship fitted with an autonomous operating system.
The Ro-Pax ferry Olympia Dream Seto received the official certification earlier this month following the completion of a series of demonstration sailings that began in June.
"We were able to achieve good results in difficult environments such as navigation in Kojima Bay with many shallow waters and complex waterways, the presence of aquaculture rafts and bottom trawls, and ships crossing the route," Mitsunobu Kojima, Chairman and CEO of Ryobi Ferry's parent company the Ryobi Group, said earlier this week.
"Japan has many remote islands, and it is expected that it will be difficult to maintain shipping routes due to a shortage of sailors and a decrease in islanders. The evolution of autonomous navigation technology is an important initiative that is essential to solving this problem."
Under the project, which began in 2022 and is led by the Nippon Foundation, the ferry underwent a three-stage renovation at the facilities of local shipbuilders Kanda Dockyard and Fujiwara Shipbuilding.
The refit also included installation of cables connecting the bridge to the engine room, building a base for the console on the bridge, and installation of a reaction control system between the automated system and existing systems. The entire autonomous system was then installed on the ferry following additional testing on land.
The Nippon Foundation said Olympia Dream Seto is scheduled to commence commercial operations as an autonomous vessel by the end of March 2026.
In the meantime, the ferry will sail on familiarisation voyages with embarked passengers and technical personnel.