ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for 'Safety Berthing/Unberthing Assistance System' developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., and granted its Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions to the 'Berthing and unberthing Assistance System-Human Machine Interface'.
ClassNK has also confirmed that the 'a-SAFE' notation (BSS)-Berthing Support System, which indicate ships with advanced safety measures, can be applied to ClassNK-registered vessels equipped with Berthing and unberthing Assistance System-Human Machine Interface.
Requirements for conceptual design
ClassNK is involved in various demonstration projects and continuously works to develop necessary safety standards, in order to support the development and implementation of automated/autonomous operation technologies from a safety perspective.
Based on these experiences, ClassNK released its 'Guidelines for Automated/Autonomous Operation of ships (Version 2.0)', which comprehensively summarises the requirements for each stage of conceptual design, design development, installation, and maintenance during the operation of automated/autonomous operation technologies.
Deployment of products and services
For the concept design of 'Safety Berthing/Unberthing Assistance System', ClassNK conducted its safety review based on the requirements of 'Guidelines for Automated/Autonomous Operation on ships (Ver.2.0)' and 'Part D of Rules for the Survey and Construction of Steel Ships'. Having confirmed its compliance with the requirements, ClassNK issued the AiP.
Furthermore, for the 'Berthing and Unberthing Assistance System – Human Machine Interface,' ClassNK has granted an Innovation Endorsement for Products & Solutions, which supports the deployment of products and services through third-party certification for equipment and software technology with innovative functions.