Joint Participation of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Pan Ocean
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 23rd that they held a departure ceremony for the Korean autonomous navigation ship system demonstration container ship POS SINGAPORE at Busan Jaseongdae Pier.
Since 2020, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries have jointly invested 160.3 billion KRW to develop the Korean autonomous navigation ship system. The demonstration ship this time is provided by Pan Ocean, a shipping company that signed a business agreement with the integrated project group for autonomous navigation ship technology. The project group and Pan Ocean have been preparing to install the autonomous navigation system from the ship design stage and recently completed the system installation. Hyundai Mipo Dockyard built the POS SINGAPORE in March, held a naming ceremony, and delivered it to Pan Ocean.
The POS SINGAPORE, an 1800 TEU (1 TEU equals one 20-foot container) class container ship, will operate on the Korea-Southeast Asia route for one year, integrating and demonstrating core technologies such as intelligent navigation, engine automation, cybersecurity, and operational technology under conditions ensuring safety such as weather and maritime traffic situations. Based on the demonstration results, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plans to lead the international standard for autonomous navigation ships (MASS code) currently being discussed at the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as a one-team collaboration among industry, academia, research, and government.
Song Myung-dal, Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, said in his congratulatory speech, "We hope this will be an opportunity to prove the excellence and safety of the Korean autonomous navigation system to the international community, further strengthen our country's shipping competitiveness, and lead the future marine mobility sector."
Lee Seung-yeol, Director of Industrial Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, "Autonomous navigation ships will develop in a direction that maximizes ship safety and minimizes carbon emissions, and we expect it to be a great opportunity for the shipbuilding and equipment industries in the future."
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