Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group company, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Panasonic Finance Co., Ltd. began accepting contract applications on the 20th for “Navin” (formerly known as “Navico”), a tablet-based navigation support system for coastal ships. “Navin” was developed by Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and will be offered for lease by TPFC for 30,000 yen (excluding tax) per month (3-year contract, installation work not included).
Mitsubishi Shipbuilding began developing Navin in fiscal 2021 with the desire to use digital technology to ensure safe coastal shipping and reduce stress for crew members. Navin was developed based on the technology of Super Bridge-X, a console-type navigation support system that the company developed in the 1990s and has a proven track record of reliability. Navin utilizes sensor information installed on coastal ships to clearly display information about the ship and other ships on the navigation electronic reference chart NEW PEC (Note), and provides functions such as guidance on the expected arrival time at the destination and confirmation of surrounding information by voice. This makes it easier for crew members to concentrate on their primary duties of watchkeeping and maneuvering, reducing stress and contributing to the prevention of marine accidents caused by human error.
Navin is a wireless tablet with a touch screen that is easy to use for people of all ages. In addition, the product is supplied on a lease contract basis to reduce initial investment costs, and installation work requires only the minimum amount of connection work to the ship’s navigation instruments, making it easy to introduce to ships in service.
Japan’s coastal shipping fleet includes many container ships transporting daily necessities such as food and clothing, as well as energy resources such as oil and propane. Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and TPFC will lease Navin to large corporations, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises that operate the ships that support this transportation infrastructure, and by providing comprehensive solutions such as leveling out introduction and usage costs and updating equipment at regular intervals, they will work to promote the computerization and digitalization of the coastal shipping industry and, beyond that, to realize a safe and secure society.
Going forward, Mitsubishi Shipbuilding and TPFC will continue to combine their strengths to help resolve social issues in Japan’s coastal shipping industry, such as alleviating labor shortages, reducing the labor burden, preventing accidents at sea, and maintaining sea routes to remote islands, thereby supporting a stable domestic logistics and transport infrastructure.
SOURCE: JCNNewswire
