Page 26: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (April 2022)

DIGITALIZATION THE PATH TO AUTONOMY

Taking Autonomous Strides

Earlier this year, a unique pairing to advance autonomous and remote-control functions into commercial maritime vessels was announced. T e project brings together ABS, Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Korea Shipbuilding and Of shore

Engineering (KSOE) and its autonomous navigation subsidiary, Avikus. Maritime

Reporter & Engineering News was af orded the unique opportunity to interview all sides for insights on the substance, pace and direction of the project.

By Greg Trauthwein hile the reality of fully autonomous oceango- ics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year. The agreement is ing ships freely sailing the world is a genera- intended to lead to a series of Joint Development Projects tion of more away, the groundwork is being (JDP).

W laid today with increased levels of automation “ABS is putting the full technical capabilities of the or- and autonomy on commercial vessels, large and small. ganization behind these projects,” said Patrick Ryan, SVP, “A recent study released by a Japanese shipping company Global Engineering and Technology, ABS. “Our 2021 found that more than four out of 10 of its seaworkers were 60 Guide for Autonomous and Remote Control Functions, or older,” said Sungjoon Kim, Sr. Executive Vice President, will be the technical foundation upon which the work will

Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE). “As we be performed.” Ryan said there may be up to five com- see fewer people drawn to seafaring jobs, we anticipate that panies participating in these projects, as discussions are autonomous vessels will help solve the issue of a severe lack underway for multiple projects with up to four vessel tests: of seafarers in the future.” LNG carrier, a RoRo vessel, a whale watching vessel and “Separately, we see autonomous vehicles to be the solution one more to be determined. to decreasing maritime accidents as eight or nine out of 10 are From its side, HHI Group has more than 500 researchers caused by human error and other crew related factors, such as and 3,000 engineers in the ? eld of maritime and shipbuilding, the obstruction of the Suez Canal last year,” said Dohyeong according to Sungjoon Kim, KSOE.

Lim, CEO, Avikus “Leveraging this resource, HHI has roughly 200 specialists

ABS will work with Hyundai Heavy Industries’ (HHI) dedicated to develop and commercialize our autonomous ves-

KSOE and Avikus to integrate autonomous and remote- sels. Furthermore, we are willing to comprehensively collabo- control functions into vessels, premised on the signing of a rate with academia and research institutes, especially in the

Strategic Framework Agreement at the Consumer Electron- ? eld of AI and digital technology.” 26 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • April 2022

MR #4 (18-33).indd 26 4/5/2022 3:00:39 PM