HMM Opens Korea's First 'Ship Integrated Control Room'... Monitoring Smart Ships Worldwide

20,000 TEU-Class Ultra-Large Vessels and 20 Smart Ships Applied
President Bae Jae-hoon: "Will Expand Application to Existing Ships in the Future"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yu Je-hoon] HMM announced on the 23rd that it has opened the first Fleet Control Center in the domestic shipping industry. According to HMM, the Fleet Control Center, located at the Busan Research and Development (R&D) Center, is a space where detailed information of smart vessels worldwide can be monitored at a glance.

At this Fleet Control Center, real-time tracking of vessel locations, arrival and departure information, fuel consumption, weather conditions such as typhoons, and cargo loading status is possible. Additionally, depending on the situation, vessels can be directly controlled from land upon approval.

Furthermore, electronic charts, speed, direction, and wind speed installed in the ship's navigation room are shared with the control center, enabling quick responses when passing through congested or hazardous areas. Closed-circuit television (CCTV) installed on the vessels monitors internal and external conditions, supporting key decision-making on board.

HMM explained, "Key equipment such as engines and generators are inspected both on land and at sea, and immediate consultations with specialized engineers on land allow for rapid decision-making and actions, which is expected to reduce costs economically."

Prior to opening the Fleet Control Center, HMM has been constructing a total of 20 ultra-large vessels equipped with the latest IT technology as smart ships, including twelve 24,000 TEU (a unit referring to one 6m container) class container ships deployed since April and eight 16,000 TEU class container ships scheduled for deployment in the first half of next year.

HMM plans to proactively respond to vessel efficiency analysis and future autonomous ship development and analysis based on big data collected in real time at the Fleet Control Center.

HMM CEO Bae Jae-hoon stated, "In the future, the shipping industry will accelerate competition in safe navigation and cost reduction through the adoption of the latest IT technologies," adding, "In addition to the 20 smart vessels, we plan to gradually expand the installation of smart IT systems on existing vessels in operation."