Japanese shipping major, NYK, has carried out a demonstration trial in Singapore to verify the interoperability between the vessel’s autonomous navigation system and the port systems.
According to NYK Line, the car carrier equipped with marine DX technologies, including an autonomous navigation system, a large-motion mitigation system, and anonboard Wi-Fi network covering the entire vessel. The ship also has a decarbonization-focused design that uses liquefied natural gas as fuel, which is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
In 2024, NYK signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore to promote decarbonization, digitalization, and human resource development in the maritime sector. The recent demonstration trial was conducted in accordance with this MoU following a risk assessment, with the ship master, ship’s bridge team, and a pilot in attendance. Remote pilotage was limited to navigation through the channel and fairways only.
The following items were verified:
- Transmission of voyage planning data from the vessel to MPA’s next generation vessel traffic management system (NGVTMS) prototypes
- Sharing of pilotage route information from the onshore support system to the vessel, as well as real-time transmission of live operational data and video from the vessel
- Utilization of MPA’s Just‑in‑Time (JIT) platform
The outcomes obtained from this demonstration trial are expected to be used in the study of MPA’s next-generation vessel traffic management systems, as well as shore-based support systems capable of interfacing with autonomous vessels, NYK Line says.
“These results represent a significant step forward toward the practical deployment of autonomous vessels in international shipping. NYK will continue to promote the social implementation of autonomous navigation technologies through collaboration with partner companies and relevant organizations,” the company said in a statement.
The most recent demonstration also follows on from joint work on autonomous ships with the MPA and NYK group companies engaging in a workshop in June last year.
As of the end of March 2025, the NYK Group operated 886 vessels and employed more than 35,000 people globally.
