In what could help avoid maritime accidents, Japanese shipbuilders and maritime shippers are joining hands to build self-navigating or self-piloting ships which are expected to be ready less than a decade from now. The news came amid frenzy over self-driving cars with most of the world's major automobile companies trying to develop it.
Japanese companies, including shippers Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Japan Marine United and Nippon Yusen will develop the self-navigating ship technology at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars and it is expected to turn into a reality by 2025, according to Japanese publication Nikkei Asian.
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The self-navigating ship will be powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and connected to Internet of Things (IoT) to gather and analyse data like weather and safest route besides detecting technical snags and other problems that could lead to an accident.
Shipbuilder Japan Marine United will use the self-navigating system in its 250 new ships, according to Nikkei Asian.
Self-navigating ships industry is expected to witness a fierce competition from major shipbuilders across the globe just like the way self-driving technology is received by automobile companies. Rolls-Royce has announced its plan to develop self-navigating ships and Norway has established a testing area for it, and more companies are expected to join the list in the future.
However, it appears like Japan is poised to take the lead in this technology as the support from the country's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has the potential to speed up the development of the technology.
