South Korean Autonomous Ship Undergoes Shipping Test: Equipped With Smart Navigation And Cybersecurity

South Korean autonomous ships. (Source:Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy)

JAKARTA - The South Korean government has begun testing autonomous ships in Korean and Southeast Asian waters, starting efforts to develop the autonomous ship industry as a new economic driver.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the government held a Singapore POS release ceremony at Busan Port on Monday.

"The autonomous ship will be developed in a way that maximizes safety and minimizes carbon emissions," said Lee Seung-yeol, head of the transportation ministry's industrial policy office at the ceremony.

"This will create significant opportunities for the shipbuilding industry and marine equipment, and the government will continue its cooperation to support the development and demonstration of cutting-edge technology," he continued.

The ship is part of the Korea Autonomous Surface Ship (KASS) project, a 160 billion won attempt initiated by the transportation industry with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to develop an autonomous shipping system.

Singaporean POS with a capacity of 1,800 units equivalent to twenty feet (TEU) will operate on the Korea-Asia Southeast route for one year, testing its main functions such as smart navigation, engine automation and cybersecurity.

Singapore's POS is provided by the Korean shipping company PAN Ocean. The transport ministry said the company had been part of the project since designing a blueprint for the KASS autonomous system.

The Ginseng State Government plans to use the data and results of the test to secure Korean leadership in discussions of the International Maritime Organization for maritime autonomous surface ship code standards (MASS).

Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Song Myong-dal stressed, "the government hopes that KASS can prove its safety and feasibility to the world and play an important role in leading the market for maritime mobility in the future."