Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has announced its participation in an inter-business project to explore ‘Roboship’ as the future marine vessel.
On 11 November, a proof of concept (PoC) test was conducted, using two actual surface vessels in the sea off Tokyo, with the aim of supporting the development and widespread implementation of a navigational support system for coastal vessels.
The PoC testing was led by e5 Lab as part of the ROBOSHIP Joint Value Creation Project. The project is a collaborative effort between e5 Lab, 22 companies, and a ship classification society.
e5 Lab is a business established in 2019 by four shipping companies and a trading company to build electric vehicle (EV) ships and digitisation technologies.
With support from related divisions within MHI Group, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding provided support for marine vessel remote control / autonomous navigation, maritime-related engineering services, and system integration for vessel propulsion units. As part of the test, SUPERBRIDGE-X, an advanced navigation support system, has been installed in Urban Launch passenger vessel operated by Tokyo Cruise Ship.
Furthermore, a remotely operated unmanned surface vessel developed by MHI was also made available.
