Asia/Pacific News
Japan Likely to Push Ahead on Unmanned Vessels
Japan's transport ministry has said that supporting the development of unmanned shipping technologies wil be important in order to maintain competitive advantage in the maritime market place.
The ministry sees insufficient seafarer supply coupled to strong competition from regional players such as South Korea as framing unmanned vessel technology in a positive light.
"In order to secure Japan's position and competitiveness on the global stage, it is essential to focus on unmanned vessel technologies," the ministry was quoted as saying at a recent public hearing on the subject by maritime news provider Lloyd's List.
Japan has several technology-leading maritime projects in train with some programmes attracting government subsidies.
A white paper has stated that the government is aiming to have autonomous vessels in operation by 2025 with shipping company NYK planning to send a remote-controlled ship from Japan to the United States next year.
In addition to savings on labour costs, autonomous vessels hold out the prospect of bunker savings.
