KRISO signs agreement with Korea Coast Guard

- Strengthened cooperation in next-generation vessel traffic management and autonomous ship technology -

□ The Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (President Booki Kim, KRISO) has partnered with Korea Coast Guard (Commissioner General Hong Hee Kim) to facilitate preemptive response to next-generation vessel traffic management and autonomous ship technology.

□ The two parties signed the agreement on next-generation vessel traffic management and autonomous ship technology in the presence of Hyungwoo Kim, vice-president of KRISO, and Bonghoon Jeong, the director general of Korea Coast Guard, at BEXCO in Busan.

□ Under the agreement, the two parties will be working together in various areas: ▲ Vessel Traffic Service (VTS*) big data platform technology research and site tests, and ▲ development and operation of big data platform-based vessel traffic control and remote control technology for autonomous ships.

* Vessel Traffic Service (VTS): Observes movements of ship and provides safety-related information by installing and operating facilities that detect ship location and communicate with ships, thereby enhancing safety and efficiency of vessel traffic and protecting the maritime environment

□ As the only government-funded research institute in ships and offshore plants, KRISO is conducting research on the establishment of maritime transportation systems, and prediction and response to maritime accidents.

□ The Vessel Traffic Information Big Data Establishment and Safety Forecast System Technology Development Project by the Korea Coast Guard will receive a funding of 2.7 billion won over five years from 2019 to 2023. KRISO plans to establish a big data platform optimized for the VTS environment, and run tests on related applications.

□ In particular, the two parties will be actively cooperating in the development of VTS technology to provide preemptive response in the age of autonomous ships, perceived as the fourth industrial revolution in the ocean.

□ Bonghoon Jeong, the director general of Korea Coast Guard, said, “Our research activities in vessel traffic control and the agreement with KRISO are highly significant. We will create opportunities for mutual growth to achieve the common goal of maritime safety, and do our best to ensure the safety of citizens.”

□ Hyungwoo Kim, the vice-president of KRISO, said, “The agreement has laid the foundation for development of vessel traffic control technology, which is essential in the smart maritime age. KRISO will continue to actively develop technology related to autonomous ships, and play a leading role in the field of vessel traffic control, so as to create a safer ship navigation system for all users.”