Hanwha Ocean Receives Top Grade Certification for 'Safety Monitoring System' from US ABS

System Developed in Collaboration with ABS
Enhancing Efficiency of Ship Inspections and Extending Service Life
"We Will Actively Respond to the Demand for Smart Technology"

Hanwha Ocean has developed a smart ship solution that can diagnose the safety status of ships and offshore plants in real time and has obtained global certification.

Hanwha Ocean announced on the 21st that it received Approval in Principle (AiP) for the 'Smart Hull Structural Health Monitoring Tier 3' from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Approval in Principle means that the ship inspection agency has recognized that the new technology is safe and feasible. ABS classifies hull structural monitoring technology into three tiers?Tier 1, 2, and 3?based on accuracy and reliability levels, and Hanwha Ocean's system was approved at the highest level, Tier 3.

Son Young-chang, Vice President and Head of Product Strategy Technology Center at Hanwha Ocean (seventh from the left), Patrick Ryan, Chief Technology Officer of ABS (sixth from the right), and other company officials are posing for a commemorative photo after the concept approval ceremony. Photo by Hanwha Ocean

The system that received approval this time was developed as part of a technical cooperation agreement between Hanwha Ocean and ABS. In September last year, Hanwha Ocean signed a technology cooperation agreement with ABS related to offshore business and has been promoting technology development in three areas: digitalization, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity operational sustainability. The technology that received AiP monitors the condition of hull structures in real time to help shipowners establish preventive maintenance strategies.

Hanwha Ocean expects to relax the conservative safety evaluation standards that were applied in the form of regular inspections for ships and offshore plants, thereby saving time and costs involved in inspections. It also anticipates minimizing unexpected operational downtime by conducting timely maintenance, contributing to extending the lifespan of ships and ensuring safety.

Currently, Hanwha Ocean is conducting demonstration research to advance hull structural monitoring technology. Additional research and development will be pursued with the goal of installing the system on actual offshore plants around 2026.

Son Young-chang, Vice President and Head of Product Strategy and Technology at Hanwha Ocean, said, "Recently, shipowners have been including digital technology as a contract condition, and classification societies are also revising regulations related to digitalization. Based on this Approval in Principle, we will actively respond to the smart and digital technology demands of the shipping industry."