UK-based Lloyd’s Register (LR) and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) have hosted a four-day workshop in Japan to accelerate the development of an assurance framework for maritime autonomy and instigate the development of appropriate regional and international regulations.
Maritime autonomy assurance framework
The workshop involved representatives from the Japan Maritime Bureau, Japan Coast Guard, universities, research institutes and Japanese maritime industry representatives, including NYK, MOL and K LINE, from the DFFAS+ Project (an initiative funded by The Nippon Foundation) for the design of future fully autonomous ships.
Discussions aimed to increase UK and Japanese regulators’ understanding of the potential of autonomy in maritime, build an assurance framework for its safe and reliable introduction and develop a pathway to exploit the opportunities autonomy affords.
Autonomy Level 4 (AL4) for ships
Japan’s goal is to see ships operating at the equivalent of LR’s Autonomy Level 4 (AL4) within its waters by 2026, with physical demonstrator ships sailing by the middle of 2025. In line with these aims, LR and NPL have agreed to promote the acceleration of verification and validation in line with technology development and deployment, including that related to collision avoidance and training and watchkeeping.
Through these activities, the aim is to promote an appropriate regulatory framework for the development, testing, innovation and commercial realization of effective and safe autonomous vessels and related technologies in the UK, Japan and beyond.
Work on the assurance framework stems from the UK-based Maritime Autonomy Assurance Testbed (MAAT) partnership led by LR and NPL, focused on building a test and certification program to provide a pathway to safe adoption.
Artificial intelligence (AI) in the maritime industry
The autonomy and artificial intelligence market (AI) is expanding rapidly. According to Out of the Box, a joint Lloyd’s Register and Thetius report published in April 2023, it was expected to be worth US$1.47bn in 2023 and grow at a five-year compound annual rate (CAGR) of 22%, making the market worth US$3.09bn by 2028.
Tony Boylen, principal autonomy specialist at LR, said, “There is pioneering work taking place in maritime automation and LR is privileged to be involved in conversations with leaders in this field. The recent meetings show that there is an ever-increasing level of alignment of thought between Japan and UK administrations and industry. We look forward to seeking partnership opportunities to develop an assurance framework to generate investor and R&D confidence in maritime autonomy.”
Naoto Nakagawa, designated principal researcher at the National Maritime Research Institute in Japan, commented, “Autonomous ships are expected to improve economic efficiency, the working environment for seafarers and marine traffic safety. At the same time, this brings new challenges for how to build secure autonomous systems and how to verify them. It is appropriate for this new era to work across the world to resolve these issues. We are very pleased that new possibilities have been brought about through interactions among stakeholders of the UK and Japan by the UK National Physical Laboratory and Lloyd’s Register.”
Andre Burgess, partnerships lead for assured autonomy at NPL, added, “The recent meetings have highlighted both the level of innovation and future capability of these technologies as well as the importance of collaboration to accelerate the pace at which autonomous ships can be deployed operationally. We are looking forward to developing new research and innovation-led partnerships between the UK and Japan in support of this ambition.”
In related news, HAV Design recently signed a contract to design and develop four new-build, autonomous zero-emission ferries that will operate the Lavik-Oppedal crossing on the northwest coast of Norway. Click here to read the full story.