Autonomous Passenger Ship Connects Mainland with Remote Island in Seto Inland Sea; World’s 1st Commercially Operated Autonomous Vessel

By Shuhei Nishida / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

7:00 JST, January 1, 2026

OKAYAMA — A passenger ship equipped with an autonomous navigation system has begun sailing between Okayama and Shodoshima Island in the Seto Inland Sea.

While there are crew members on board to monitor the trips and respond in emergencies, the technology is expected to help alleviate crew shortages faced by the shipping industry, as well as prevent accidents.

According to the project’s operators, this is the world’s first commercially operated autonomous vessel.

The Olympia Dream Seto detects the locations of other ships using a synthesis of data from an automatic identification system, radar and other equipment. The ferry, which has a capacity of 500 people and is operated by Okayama City-based Ryobi Group, measures 65.56 meters in length and has a gross tonnage of 942 tons.

The vessel makes four round trips per day between Shin-Okayama Port and Tonosho Port on the island.

The project is backed by a consortium of 53 entities, including The Nippon Foundation and shipbuilding and shipping companies. They have been working on the project since 2020 and have conducted multiple demonstrations.

On Dec. 5, the ship’s autonomous navigation system passed screening by the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry.

Eliminating human error

During a demonstration held on Dec. 10, the vessel’s captain only monitored the navigation route and the positions of surrounding ships on a monitor, without touching any controls.

Other ships were intentionally placed in the ferry’s way as obstacles during the demonstration, but Olympia Dream Seto accurately detected their positions using radar and other methods and calculated a safe route to avoid them.

Docking and undocking normally requires the skills and experience of a helmsman, but the ferry performed even that process autonomously.

An official from The Nippon Foundation cited data showing that human error was responsible for 80% of maritime accidents.

“While humans tend to have lapses in concentration, autonomous navigation can maintain a consistent level of performance,” the official said.

The consortium aims to begin operating three other autonomous ships on other routes by March.

“Based on the data we obtain from the commercial operations, we hope to contribute to the creation of international rules for autonomous ships,” said Nippon Foundation Executive Director Mitsuyuki Unno.

Support from land

The ship’s autonomous navigation is also supported by the mobile, land-based Fleet Operation Center, which analyzes weather conditions and monitors the ship’s equipment for abnormalities. On the day of the demonstration, the center was deployed at Shin-Okayama Port.

The mobile center is a van with a classical design and a dazzling silver body, but inside it is equipped with several screens that display information like a cockpit.