尾道造船 has announced plans to begin building USVs and aims to develop mass-produced unmanned vessels in Japan in collaboration with Bulwark Dynamics of the United States. The companies are reportedly pursuing joint development centered on cargo transport USVs with beaching capability.
Nikkei reported that 尾道造船 plans to begin building USVs (unmanned surface vessels). The mid-sized shipbuilder has been exploring applications not only for commercial vessels but also in the government-demand sector, and is reportedly moving into a new business area.
Development of the USVs will proceed under a basic agreement with U.S. startup Bulwark Dynamics. Bulwark says it aims to establish a product category for mass-produced unmanned vessels in Japan.
The USVs the two companies plan to build in Japan are expected to be designed as beaching-capable vessels that can transport containers loaded with cargo, run up onto shorelines without port facilities and handle cargo there. The companies are reportedly already conducting demonstrations of a prototype in the United States.
In light of the current status of transport vessels operated by the Ministry of Defense that have beaching capability, the possibility of introducing USVs is reportedly being considered to secure transport capacity for remote islands.