Japanese shipping line Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) has teamed up with Oki Electric Industry to start a joint study on the use of OKI’s new FlyingView bird’s-eye view monitoring system to monitor a 360 degree field of view around a tugboat.
The system has been installed on the tugboat Asaka Maru, owned by MOL Group company Nihon Tug-Boat, and a preliminary experiment was conducted.
MOL believes the system makes it possible for the tug’s operator to objectively recognize the boat’s surrounding situations, reducing the risk of an accidental contact with the target vessel and more effectively assisting its safe berthing and unberthing.
MOL said it has moved ahead with advanced support of safe operation and reduction of its environmental impact, as part of its “Ishin Next – MOL Smart Ship Project” launched in November 2016.
MOL has been putting significant efforts into smart ship technologies lately. Earlier this month, MOL and compatriot Oshima Shipbuilding jointly obtained an approval in principle (AIP) from ClassNK for the design of a hard sail system. In September, the company also showcased an AI vessel recognition system.
