NYK Line Implements AI Technology to Enhance Car Carrier Allocation and Sustainability

Japanese company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) Line has initiated full-scale operations of an AI-driven system designed to automate and optimize the planning of car carrier allocations.

This AI-based car carrier allocation system, developed in collaboration with MTI and Grid, was implemented at NYK in July of this year. The system is capable of analyzing millions of potential shipping schedules for several months in advance, generating an optimal plan with “millions of options” in approximately “ten minutes,” according to NYK.

It takes into account customer requirements, fleet status, ship repair schedules, and port congestion information to enhance key performance indicators such as “vessel utilization, transport efficiency, and transport costs.”

NYK operates a fleet of over 100 car carriers. Traditionally, planning ship allocations has involved manual assessments of numerous conditions for hundreds of voyages months ahead.

The new system organizes and structures the data and decision-making factors related to shipping and scheduling, thereby improving planning accuracy and efficiency, as stated by NYK. It also includes criteria for the use of “next-generation” fuel ships and carbon pricing, aiming to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing operational efficiency and sustainability.

In a statement, NYK emphasized:

“Our joint efforts aim to foster technological innovation and environmental responsiveness, thereby contributing to the realization of a more sustainable society.”

In February of this year, a consortium led by NYK received approval-in-principle (AiP) from ClassNK, a ship classification society, for an ammonia-fueled bunkering vessel. The design, created by LMG Marin, a subsidiary of Singaporean shipbuilder Seatrium, will undergo further evaluation by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

Additionally, in the same month, NYK launched a biofuel trial on its coal carrier, the Noshiro Maru, in partnership with Tohoku Electric Power. This marks Japan’s first biofuel test on a coal carrier, with Mitsubishi Corporation Energy providing the biofuel for the trial in the Keihin area.