Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. K-LINE has successfully tested an autonomous navigation system. On one of its RORO ships as part of the fully autonomous ship “MEGURI 2040″ project (MEGURI2040). Notably, the company has successfully completed a proof-of-concept (PoC) stage sea demonstration test. The autonomous navigation system was installed on the Hokuren Maru No. 2. 2”, a large roll-on/roll-off (RORO) vessel operated by Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen.

The test included three trips starting on October 1, 2023. (Trip 1: October 1, people from October 9 to 3rd; Trip 2: people from October 9 to 11th. Trip 3: people from October 17 to 19th). This test focused on an autonomous navigation system consisting of a single function on a ship. The goal is to eventually integrate fully autonomous vessels into society. The maritime demonstration test was conducted over a round trip of approximately 1,600 km between Hitachi Port and Kushiro Port.

This route is part of the existing RORO cargo ship service. According to  K-Line, the autonomous navigation system has achieved an average system availability rate of approximately 96% in the designated sea area called the Operational Design Domain (ODD).