Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” LINE) has been participating in the MEGURI2040 Fully Autonomous Ship Project (MEGURI2040) *1, which aims to realize fully autonomous ships and ensure stable transportation of people and goods, administrated by the Nippon Foundation.
Through this participation, “K” LINE is advancing initiatives to address urgent issues facing the maritime industry, including the crew from population decline and accidents resulting from human error.
“K” LINE announces that the demonstration tests of autonomous navigation have been completed for the scheduled domestic RORO vessel “HOKUREN MARU No.2”, connecting the Kushiro–Hitachi route, operated by Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (Kawasaki Kinkai Kisen).
The vessel obtained certification related to autonomous ships from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClasssNK) dated January 27, 2026, and subsequently passed the statutory ship inspection by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) as an “autonomous vessel” dated February 9, 2026. This is the first case in Japan of a RORO vessel
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