A JAPANESE shipping company has announced that it successfully conducted the world's first test of an unmanned container ship.
Mitsui O S K Lines said that the vessel Mikage, an autonomous cargo ship, successfully travelled from Japan's Tsuruga Port in Fukui Prefecture to Sakai Port in Tottori Prefecture - a voyage of more than 100 miles. The historic sea trial was part of the unmanned ship project MEGURI2040, being led by the Nippon Foundation.
A wide array of technology was used to complete the voyage. The ship was able to follow a preformulated route using an autonomous ship operation control system that had to effectively handle several different elements of navigation, including wind, tides, and various navigation rules that ships must follow, reports Washington Examiner.
Mikage used an information integration system to gather and interpret data about other ships it came across and how to circumnavigate obstacles it encountered along the route. The system can measure the positions, speed, and types of nearby ships as well as the position of debris. A drone was used to help moor the vessel after the completion of the voyage.
SeaNews Turkey
Mitsui O S K Lines said that the vessel Mikage, an autonomous cargo ship, successfully travelled from Japan's Tsuruga Port in Fukui Prefecture to Sakai Port in Tottori Prefecture - a voyage of more than 100 miles. The historic sea trial was part of the unmanned ship project MEGURI2040, being led by the Nippon Foundation.
A wide array of technology was used to complete the voyage. The ship was able to follow a preformulated route using an autonomous ship operation control system that had to effectively handle several different elements of navigation, including wind, tides, and various navigation rules that ships must follow, reports Washington Examiner.
Mikage used an information integration system to gather and interpret data about other ships it came across and how to circumnavigate obstacles it encountered along the route. The system can measure the positions, speed, and types of nearby ships as well as the position of debris. A drone was used to help moor the vessel after the completion of the voyage.
SeaNews Turkey
