In western Japan, the passenger ferry Olympia Dream Seto, which provides scheduled service between Shin-Okayama port in Okayama Prefecture and Tonosho port on Shōdoshima Island in Kagawa Prefecture, has begun operations using semi-autonomous navigation technology following certification by the Japanese government. This deployment marks the first instance in which a regular passenger vessel carrying ordinary passengers has been approved to incorporate automated navigation systems into commercial operations.
The technology installed aboard the ferry enables automatic detection of navigational conditions and the adjustment of course and control of steering and propulsion equipment without manual input in defined conditions, while manual override remains available should circumstances require direct crew action.
The initiative forms part of the MEGURI2040 fully autonomous ship project, a long-term programme led by the Nippon Foundation in collaboration with more than fifty domestic partners spanning the maritime, shipbuilding, communications and trading sectors. The project’s objectives include addressing crew shortages in Japan’s coastal shipping sector, improving navigational safety by reducing human-error-related accidents, and advancing commercialisation of unmanned vessel operations.
Olympia Dream Seto has commenced familiarisation voyages that integrate the new navigation systems, with full commercial operations anticipated to expand as the vessel’s crew gains experience in managing the technology. In parallel, other ships, including a container vessel and additional coastal vessels, are slated to begin commercial operations under autonomous navigation by April 2026 as part of the same initiative.