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NYK car carrier tests autonomous navigation in Singapore
A NYK-operated vehicle carrier has demonstrated the operational and efficiency benefits of autonomous navigation technology as part of a Japanese-Singaporean development project
Car carrier Elder Leader made its first call at the port of Singapore on 29 April 2026 after sailing into the harbour with MTI Co’s navigation and communications technology.
This occurred under an agreement between NYK and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) to verify the interoperability between the vessel’s autonomous navigation system and the port’s digital systems.
Along with an autonomous navigation system, 2026-built Elder Leader is equipped with a large-motion mitigation system and a wifi network covering the entire vessel, and engines for consuming natural gas as fuel to reduce CO2 emissions.
According to the automatic identification system, this Japan-flagged, 200-m ship left Singapore on 30 April and is heading to Turkey, and was sailing along the coast of India on 12 April.
The autonomous navigation trial in Singapore was conducted under a memorandum of understanding between NYK and the MPA and under strict safety management.
It followed a risk assessment with the ship master, ship’s bridge team, and a pilot in attendance, and remote pilotage was limited to navigation through the channel and fairways only.
The MPA intends to use the outcomes obtained from this demonstration to upgrade its vessel traffic management systems and shore-based support, ready to interface with vessels using autonomous navigation.
NYK will use these results to support further deployment of autonomous navigation on vessels involved in international shipping through collaboration with partners.
The Singaporean trial involving Elder Leader verified transmission of voyage planning data from the vessel to prototypes of MPA’s new traffic management system.
It supported the sharing of pilotage route information from the onshore support system to the vessel, and real-time transmission of live operational data and video from the vessel.
It also helped the MPA test the efficiency of its digital platform for just-in-time port arrivals.
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