SEOUL– A unit of HD Hyundai, formerly known as Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, has conducted the world’s first transoceanic voyage of a large merchant ship based on its autonomous navigation technology, the company said Friday.
Avikus, a wholly-owned unit of the South Korean shipbuilder, has successfully tested its own Level 2 autonomous navigation solution called HiNAS 2.0 on a 180,000 square-meter-class liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, HD Hyundai said in a statement.
The LNG ship, named Prism Courage, sailed half of nearly 20,000 kilometers of the monthlong voyage from Freeport on the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico to the Boryeong LNG Terminal in South Korea using the HiNAS 2.0 system, it said.
The LNG ship is operated by SK Shipping Co., an affiliate of chemical-to-construction conglomerate SK Group.
“It is meaningful that we have successfully tested the Level 2 system to operate a vessel beyond the Level 1 technology providing optimal routes. We will lead innovation by upgrading autonomous navigation solutions not only for large merchant ships but also for small leisure boats,” Avikus Chief Executive Lim Do-hyeong said in the statement.
The LNG ship is not an unmanned vessel, but there was no interruption by crew members during the 10,000-kilometer autonomous navigation, the company said.
The autonomous navigation ships and related equipment market is expected to grow by an average rate of 12.6 percent a year to reach US$235.7 billion in 2028, according to global market research firm Acute Market Reports.
HD Hyundai has Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (KSOE) as a subholding company under its wing. KSOE has three major affiliates — Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co.
Source: Yonhap News Agency