As crews grow old, Japanese shipping firms try to do without them: But robots have a lot to learn about the ways of the sea

As crews grow old, Japanese shipping firms try to do without them: But robots have a lot to learn about the ways of the sea
Jul 23rd 2020 edition

CAPTAIN KUWAHARA SATORU’S tanker is manoeuvring through Yokohama harbour. Dolphins leap in the distance; a cruise ship slides under a glittering bridge. He issues an instruction via the radio, and suddenly the ship is navigating congested waters off Singapore. Offered a turn at the helm, your correspondent accidentally sets the tanker on a collision course. Mr Kuwahara quickly steers away from danger. Then he flips a switch and all the windows go dark. He walks out of the simulator into the 24th-floor offices of Japan Marine Science (JMS), a shipping consultancy.

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