NYK has conducted what it says is the world’s first Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (MASS) trial performed in accordance with the IMO’s Interim Guidelines for MASS trials. Iris Leader , a large NYK-operated pure car truck carrier (PCTC) having a gross tonnage of 70,826 tons, was navigated day and night using the Sherpa System for Real ship (SSR) navigation system during the period from 14 to 17 September from Xinsha, China, to the port of Nagoya, Japan, and then from the port of Nagoya to the port of Yokohama, Japan, from 19 to 20 September. Crew performed typical duties during the navigations, which included Japan’s coastal area but excluded bays. The SRR system navigates a vessel by calculating optimal routes based on environmental conditions. During the trial, the SSR’s performance in actual sea conditions was monitored as it collected information on environmental conditions around the ship from existing navigational […]