Japan has launched the world’s first passenger ferry with autonomous navigation capabilities. The Olympia Dream Seto ferry is used to transport passengers between Shin-Okayama Port and Tonosho Port and began semi-autonomous operations on December 11. Japan is facing an aging population, which is causing the country to face a shortage of human resources in several sectors.
One of these is the coastal shipping industry, in which more than half of the crew is over 50 years old, according to statistics. Japan has dozens of small islands that rely on ferries to stay connected to islands such as Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku.
