Daewoo Shipbuilding Receives 'Top Grade' Certification for Smart Ship Solution... "Utilizing Satellites"

Korea Information and Communication Technology Association Obtains GS Grade 1 Certification

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier of Marangas, a subsidiary of Angelicoussis Group, the largest shipping company in Greece, built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering. (Image source=Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) announced on the 11th that its self-developed smart ship technology, the 'DSME Equipment Condition Diagnosis Solution,' has received the highest grade, 'GS (Good Software) Grade 1,' certification from the Korea Information and Communication Technology Association. This is expected to be recorded as an achievement of the national project 'Core Technology Project for the Shipbuilding and Marine Industry,' which DSME has been conducting since 2018.

DSME explained that the certification is significant as it passed strict testing procedures on functionality suitability, performance efficiency, usability, reliability, and security conducted by the Software Testing and Certification Institute. The company believes this demonstrates that DSME’s technological capabilities have reached a higher level amid growing global interest in smart ship technology.

DSME’s equipment condition diagnosis solution upgrades ship performance and enhances safe navigation capabilities. First, it collects operational big data from various equipment on ships operating at sea using satellite communication and performs real-time inspections onshore. During inspections, it accurately diagnoses the condition of key equipment and devices, including defects, and provides optimal solutions for correction. Shipowners can detect problems in major onboard equipment early, enabling predictive maintenance, improved maintenance and inventory management efficiency, and ultimately safer ship operations.

Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) is a technology that analyzes data collected from sensors attached to equipment to determine the operating status, failure presence, and causes, providing necessary information for maintenance. Unlike existing technologies that provided somewhat limited information by judging abnormalities based on preset values for each equipment, the solution developed by DSME additionally collects and analyzes vibration data to diagnose the causes of defects more precisely.

DSME has accumulated various failure data from major equipment over several years and developed a model that classifies these using artificial intelligence techniques. Last year, the company conducted direct tests on ships in actual operation to verify accuracy. Based on this, DSME proceeded with the process to obtain GS certification to secure the reliability of this technology, passed strict testing and review procedures, and successfully acquired the final certification.

Choi Dong-gyu, Executive Vice President and Head of DSME Central Research Institute, said, "With the acquisition of this equipment condition diagnosis technology, we have taken a step closer to realizing autonomous ships." He added, "DSME’s continuously upgraded smart ship solutions will bring practical benefits to shipowners and are expected to contribute to enhancing order competitiveness."

DSME is the first in the industry to apply this solution to two LNG-FSUs.