The NYK-operated car carrier Elder Leader has completed a demonstration trial of its autonomous navigation system during its maiden call to the Port of Singapore.
The trial was conducted by NYK, its subsidiary MTI Co., Ltd., and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) at the end of April to verify the interoperability between the vessel and port infrastructure.
Elder Leader is a car carrier equipped with a range of digital technologies on board, including an autonomous navigation system, a large-motion mitigation system, and an onboard Wi-Fi network. The vessel also uses Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as fuel to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
The demonstration focused on several technical verifications, such as the transmission of voyage planning data from the vessel to the Next Generation Vessel Traffic Management System (NGVTMS) prototypes managed by the MPA.
Additionally, the trial verified the sharing of pilotage route information from onshore support systems to the vessel, as well as the real-time transmission of operational data and video.
The partners also utilised the MPA’s Just-In-Time (JIT) platform to coordinate arrival. The trial was conducted with the ship’s master, the bridge team, and a Pilot in attendance. Remote pilotage during the exercise was restricted to navigation within the channel and fairways.
This collaboration follows a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in 2024 between NYK and the MPA to promote decarbonisation and digitalisation in the maritime sector.
