Three 'influencers' in the international maritime sector have joined One Sea, the industry alliance that brings together leading exponents of autonomous ship technology.
Global satellite group Inmarsat and NYK Group research subsidiary MTI (Monohakobi Technology Institute) have joined One Sea as full members, while the Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become a One Sea associate member.
One Sea members ABB, Kongsberg Maritime and Wärtsilä ran separate autonomous ship trials off the Finnish and Norwegian coasts at the end of 2018. Finnish regulators have authorized One Sea to oversee future trials in Jaakonmeri off western Finland - the first dedicated test zone worldwide.
NYK and its Group companies MTI Co., Ltd. and Japan Marine Science Inc. (JMS) have already been working with nautical instrument manufacturers to develop highly automated ship navigation technologies, with a tugboat test for NYK company Wing Maritime Service Corporation scheduled for H2 2019. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) envisages autonomous ships operating in Japan by 2025. One Sea has also set 2025 as its target for an autonomous shipping infrastructure, including a full set of safety rules and technology standards.