December 14, 2021

Project for Developing a Remote-Engine-Monitoring System that Utilizes
Simulators as the Core Technology Started- To Solve the Problem of the Future Decrease of Seafarers in Coastal Shipping -MTI Co., Ltd.
Nabtesco Corporation
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK)
Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd.
NYK Line
BEMAC Corporation

A technology development project on the highly automated operation of marine engines –R&D on Next-Generation Coastal Ships Utilizing Remote-Engine-Monitoring Technology – inwhich the NYK Group’s MTI Co., Ltd., Nabtesco Corporation, ClassNK, Nihon Shipyard Co.,
Ltd., and BEMAC Corporation have participated, in cooperation with companies including
NYK Line, has just been started. This project was selected by the Ministry of Land,Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) for the “2021 Support Project for R&D in
Promoting Aggregation and Cooperation in the Maritime Industry.”*
In recent years, in coastal shipping, it has become an urgent task to deal with the future
shortage of seafarers, which is expected due to the aging of seafarers and the decrease in
the number of applicants. It is said that the biggest barrier to becoming a seafarer is an
isolated working environment where seafarers spend a long time in an environment isolated
from land. Due to the shortage of future seafarers, a concern has grown that there will be ashortage of highly specialized human resources who will be responsible for the engine
operation of ships, which will hinder safe and efficient ship operations.
To solve such issues, in this project the five participating companies and cooperators,
including NYK Line, aim to estimate the cause of engine operation failure by utilizing
simulators as the core technology and to develop a remote-engine-monitoring system thatcan judge/make a decision on how to recover. This system development is a highly innovative
initiative in the maritime industry, as it aims to enable an on-land monitoring center tomonitor engine operations of multiple ships yet maintain today’s high safety level even if thenumber of seafarers involved in engine operation on board is reduced. Further, by proposing
a new working style at the on-land monitoring center to coastal seafarers, it is also expected
to reduce the seafarers’ isolated working environment.
In this project, a shipyard, maritime equipment manufacturers, a classification society, andshipping companies will work together to expedite development and conduct demonstration
tests on actual ships.

1. Overview of the project
We will mainly conduct R&Ds for the following items.
Target of development

Expected Effect1

Develop a system forestimating the cause ofengine-operation failureand for judging/making adecision on how torecover

Develop a failurerecovery-judgment
system that utilizes
simulators as the coretechnology- Improving the accuracy of failurerecovery judgment- Utilizing simulators, which will be a coresystem of future automatic operation, inthe maritime industry

2

Conduct demonstration
tests of highly automatedoperations of marine
engines utilizing theremote monitoring
technology on actualships

Develop an integrated
system that can monitor
multiple ships on land bycombining the failurerecovery-judgment
system and the remotemonitoring technology- Securing sufficient seafarers’ humanresources by introducing the on-landworking style- Providing a stable and effective
transportation service- Fostering system integrators in themaritime industry

2. Roles of each company participating in the project
MTI Co., Ltd.

- Develop the failure-recovery-judgment system- Develop the engine remote monitoring system- Conduct demonstration tests of the developed systems
on actual ships

Nabtesco Corporation- Develop the failure-recovery-judgment system- Conduct demonstration tests of the developed systems
on actual ships

ClassNK- Evaluate the failure-recovery-judgment system and theengine remote monitoring system- Evaluate the results of demonstration tests

Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd.

- Develop the failure-recovery-judgment system- Conduct demonstration tests of the developed systems
on actual ships

NYK Line- Provide the accumulated knowledge of a shippingcompany

BEMAC Corporation- Develop the engine remote monitoring system- Conduct demonstration tests of the developed systems
on actual ships

3. Overview of each company
MTI Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: Tokyo
President: Kazuo Ishizuka
Website: https://www.monohakobi.com/en/
Nabtesco Corporation
Headquarters: Tokyo
Representative Director, President & CEO: Katsuhiro Teramoto
Website: https://www.nabtesco.com/en/
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK)
Headquarters: Tokyo
President & CEO: Hiroaki Sakashita
Website: https://www.classnk.com/
Nihon Shipyard Co., Ltd.
Headquarters: Tokyo
President: Yoshinori Maeta
Website: https://www.nsyc.co.jp/en/
NYK Line
Headquarters: Tokyo
President: Hitoshi Nagasawa
Website: https://www.nyk.com/english/
BEMAC Corporation
Headquarters: Ehime
CEO＆President: Masato Oda
Website: https://www.bemac-jp.com/en/*2021 Support Project for R&D in Promoting Aggregation and Cooperation in the Maritime
Industry
MLIT’s project started this fiscal year to support technology developments for strengthening
the technological capabilities of the Japanese maritime industry. The project aims to facilitate
shipyards and maritime equipment manufacturers in their coming together for work on nextgeneration ship technologies, to foster Japanese system integrators, to make the industry’s
structural shift, and to further strengthen the technological capabilities.