ClassNK granted an Approval in Principle (AiP) to NYK Line and MTI for their joint project on the concept design of an autonomous ship framework (development code “APExS”).
In January 2020, ClassNK released its “Guidelines for Automated/Autonomous Operation of ships" which comprehensively summarize the requirements for each stage of conceptual design, design development, installation, and maintenance during the operation of automated/autonomous operation technologies.
Jointly with NYK Line and MTI, ClassNK verified the safety of system usage conditions, fall back systems, and more toward the development of the autonomous ship framework. The AiP was then granted upon confirming the feasibility of the framework through safety evaluation in line with the above guidelines.