Japan's MOL has trialled a new intelligence awareness system (IAS) to detect debris and other obstacles at sea.
A Ferry Sunflower passengership was fitted with the kit by Rolls-Royce Marine for a voyage through the congested Seto Inland Sea route.
The project focused on research related to advancement of watch keeping from the bridge.
"The project team verified the system’s performance such as detecting debris and other obstacles and its data fusion capabilities by conducting the demonstration test in the Seto Inland Sea, one of world’s most congested waterways, where general merchant ships, pleasure boats, fishing boats, many other vessels come and go," MOL said.
The team received positive comments from the crew, who said they could expect more reliable watch keeping with IAS.
The test also led to an idea for an advanced user interface, which can provide information with greater precision.
"MOL plans to continuously accumulate data on the sea and use it to generate practical improvements in watch standing performance that make the system suitable for navigation in the Seto Inland Sea, while upgrading its performance in adverse weather," the company added.
