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Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), the intermediate holding company of HD Hyundai, is joining hands with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) to take another step forward to developing unmanned ships that can navigate and perform safety diagnosis without human assistance. KSOE signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ABS on the development and demonstration of automated machinery and integrated safety control system in autonomous ships on the 6th of January in Las Vegas during CES 2023.

“We plan to cooperate with ABS on the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based LNG fuel propulsion system (Hi-GAS+) demonstration project that won the CES 2023 Innovation Award,” said Sungjoon Kim, SEVP and Head at KSOE’s Advanced Research Center. “Through the MOU, we hope to further extend our lead in unmanned technology that enables autonomous navigation and self-diagnosis of equipment and safety.”

ABS is one of the world’s leading ship classification organisations that contributes to the stable growth of the shipbuilding and maritime industry by setting standards for safety and technological excellence for ships and offshore structures.

The two parties plan to demonstrate KSOE’s machinery automation system (HiCBM) and onboard an integrated safety control system (HiCAMS) on actual ships for the first time globally by 2024. HiCBM and HiCAMS are AI-based solutions that allow ships to self-diagnose the condition of machinery and equipment within the ship such as engines and generators, and automatically recognise and respond to unexpected situations such as fire. KSOE obtained approval in principle (AIP) for the two systems from ABS in September 2022.

The two will work to bring a successful demonstration of the two systems, which will mark the realisation of the world’s first unmanned large merchant vessel ship capable of operating for long periods without the assistance of a navigator, engineer or even a deckhand.

“ABS is leading the industry in supporting autonomous projects and assisting pioneers like HD Hyundai and KSOE. Autonomous technologies that are fully integrated within the broader vessel infrastructure have the potential to increase safety by reducing human error,” said Patrick Ryan, Senior Vice President, Global Engineering and Technology, at ABS.

In June 2022, HD Hyundai’s subsidiary, Avikus, installed the autonomous navigation system on a large merchant ship and succeeded in crossing the ocean for the first time in the world.

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