Classification society ClassNK announced it has completed the Technology Qualification (TQ) process for the "Advanced Routing Simulation and Planning: ARS" software, developed by JAPAN MARINE SCIENCE INC. (JMS), and issued its first TQ statement.
The statement confirms the ARS software has been verified to possess safety equivalent to technologies designed under existing regulations. This represents a step towards the practical installation of autonomous navigation systems on vessels.
ClassNK utilized its published "Guidelines for Technology Qualification" and "Guidelines for Automated/Autonomous on ships (Ver.1.0)" to assess the novel technology.
The TQ process included novelty evaluation, risk assessment, simulation testing, and qualification validation, confirming that ARS's core functions for autonomous navigation meet the necessary requirements.
Maritime autonomous surface ships (MASS) technologies aim to reduce human error, ease crew workloads, and address labor shortages. ARS software contributes to this by predicting the future behavior of a vessel and surrounding ships, developing action plans to avoid collisions and groundings. It is considered a core technology for autonomous ship operations.
JAPAN MARINE SCIENCE INC. plans to adopt the ARS software in demonstration projects in Japan involving a container vessel and a remote island passenger ferry.
ClassNK is a non-profit ship classification society headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1899, it is one of the world's leading classification societies.
JAPAN MARINE SCIENCE is a Japanese company specializing in marine technology and consulting. Its business areas often include maritime traffic consulting, ship operation support systems (like ARS), marine surveys, environmental assessments, and the development of simulators and training systems for maritime personnel.
