Japan Licenses Its First Autonomous Navigation Ro-Pax Ferry

Japan is set to launch service aboard its first autonomous navigation ferry. The vessel Olympia Dream Seto recently completed the licensing process and will start sailing with the autonomous system on Thursday, December 11, as part of an ongoing government-sponsored project to advance autonomous navigation technology.

The Nippon Foundation hosted a demonstration of the autonomous system on Wednesday, highlighting it as a major milestone in the development of the technology. Reporters said the 60-meter (197-foot) ferry “gently pulled away from the pier and proceeded through calm waters. It also showed its ability to detect a ship ahead and reroute,” reported Kyodo News.

The nearly 1,000 gross ton ferry, which was built in 2019, is the first vessel successfully completed by the MEGURI 2040 project, which was launched in 2020. The ferry runs an approximate 70-minute route between Shin-Okayama Port and Shodoshima's Tonosho Port on the small islands off the coast of Japan. The ferry crosses the Seto Inland Sea and has a capacity for up to 500 passengers and 60 cars, or 10 buses. It operates at a speed of 13 knots with a crew of 10.

The MEGURI project was launched to advance autonomous navigation to the commercial stage. The Foundation highlights that it will help to reduce accidents caused by human error and will also address the growing shortage of seafarers. The project’s set a goal of achieving 50 percent unmanned operations of domestic ships by 2040.

The project conducted demonstration testing between January and March 2022. This included sailing in Tokyo Bay, which was designated as a congested waterway for the tests, with the Foundation highlighting the high vessel traffic in the region. It also completed a long-distance demonstration sailing approximately 750 km (over 460 miles).

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism established a study group in 2024 to consider the safety standards and inspection methods for autonomous shipping. The results were released in June 2025, setting the way for the Olympia Dream Seto to proceed.

The vessel’s systems were required to undergo an inspection before it was installed. This was completed in July and earned the vessel the “early-stage autonomous ship” designation. The second phase was completed on December 5, after the vessel demonstrated autonomous operations, and it received its certificate.

The ferry’s operator, Ryobi Ferry Company, says it will start using the system as the crew becomes more familiar with its operations. 

At the same time, the MEGURI project is moving forward with additional vessels. The containership Mikage (749 gross tons) was also used in the first stage demonstrations and is being prepared for certification. In addition, the RoRo ship Hokuren Maru No. 2 is being prepared for demonstration voyages in areas where it could encounter both congestion with fishing boats and fog. Additionally, the newly-built domestic containership Genbu was built anticipating unnamed operations. These demonstrations are scheduled to be completed by April 2026.