Kawasaki Obtains Approval in Principle (AiP) from ClassNK for its Safe Berthing/Unberthing Assistance System and P&S Certification for the Berthing/Unberthing Assistance Information Display Unit
Nov. 14, 2025
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Tokyo, November 14, 2025 - Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced it has obtained Approval in Principle (AiP) from Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK) for its Safe Berthing/Unberthing Assistance System and an Innovation Endorsement (IE) for Products & Solutions (P&S) for its Berthing/Unberthing Assistance Information Display Unit. Moreover, the Display Unit is the first product conforming to a-SAFE Berthing Support System (a-SAFE(BSS)) notation.*
The acquisition of these certifications is an official recognition of safety and reliability and is expected to provide a driving force for further introduction of these systems.
Normally, berthing and unberthing operations within the port are carried out by skilled crew with thorough knowledge and experience in vessel maneuvering techniques, as well as the specific maneuverability characteristics and mooring equipment features of their own vessel. However, increasing ship sizes have made vessel maneuvering more sophisticated and challenging, while shortages of crew personnel have become a widespread problem throughout society. These issues have led to demands for improvements in terms of labor savings, reduced skill-level requirement and improved safety management in vessel maneuvering and mooring operations. The introduction of Kawasaki’s Safe Berthing/Unberthing Assistance System will contribute to significant improvements in the efficiency and safety of these challenging in-port vessel operations. Moreover, the system can be installed on any type of vessel.
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Information Display Unit | |||
The Safe Berthing/Unberthing Assistance System has the following features.
Information visualization by the Display Unit
The following information is visualized:
・Vessel status when approaching, berthing, and unberthing
・Predicted movement of vessels caused by wind-derived disturbances
・Safety margins for vessel maneuvering when approaching, berthing, and unberthing
Vessel maneuvering assistance control by course tracking and berthing maneuvering modes
The Controller Unit features the following modes to assist vessel maneuvering:
・Course tracking mode
Automatically pilots the vessel on the planned course at the designated speed input by the joystick.
・Berthing assistance mode
Assists safe berthing by operating the joystick and heading dial to automatically maintain the designated stance and position of the vessel and keep it side-by-side to the quay.
| * | A notation assigned to a vessel equipped with a system that integrates and displays information required for berthing/unberthing maneuvers by conducting real time measurement and analysis of the distance to the quay, vessel speed, wind speed, and other meteorological data. |
Related Links
Kawasaki Heavy Industries: Introduction to the Safe Berthing/Unberthing Assistance System (video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6heuW26SDQ8(Japanese)
Kawasaki Successfully Completed Verification of Automated Berthing and Unberthing Operations with Advanced Safety Berthing/Unberthing Assistance System (May 20, 2025)
https://global.kawasaki.com/en/corp/newsroom/news/detail/?f=20250520_4295
Kawasaki Releases a Tension Monitoring System for Mooring Line for Its Safe Berthing/Unberthing Assist System (April 8, 2024)
https://global.kawasaki.com/en/corp/newsroom/news/detail/?f=20240408_8227
Tension Monitoring System for Mooring Line: Introductory video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPfwNlclhPU (Japanese)
Joint R&D Agreement Aimed at World’s First Practical Deployment of the “Safe Berthing/Unberthing Assist System” (January 5, 2023)
https://global.kawasaki.com/en/corp/newsroom/news/detail/?f=20230105_9168
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