BUREAU VERITAS Delivers an AIP for Fully Autonomous Ship Framework
Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification, has delivered an Approval in Principle to NYK and its group companies MTI Co., Ltd. and Japan Maritime Science Inc. for a fully autonomous ship framework that is currently being developed under the name of '' APExS-auto.''
The Bureau Veritas approval has been delivered to the Joint Technological Development Programme for the Demonstration of Fully Autonomous Ships, under the fully autonomous ship project "MEGURI2040".
Administrated by The Nippon Foundation the project aims to address social issues such as labor shortages and the aging of domestic coastal seafarers, as well as marine accidents caused by human error. The DFFAS (Designing the Future of Full Autonomous Ship) consortium, comprising 30 Japanese companies including NYK and NYK Group companies Japan Marine Science Inc. and MTI Co., Ltd., is participating in the project and has proceeded with technological development with the aim of social implementation of fully autonomous ships.
BV reviewed the safety of the framework and certified the concept design. This was the first time for a fully autonomous ship framework to be approved in Japan.