□ The Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (President Booki Kim, hereinafter “KRISO”) announced on August 14 that it had been designated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries as the official testing institute for the smart maritime traffic and information service display device (hereinafter “e-Nav display device”).

□ The e-Nav display device, developed as part of the Korean e-Navigation project by the Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries, enables monitoring of accident-prone ships, recommends safe sea routes, and allows downloading of electronic navigational charts, thereby ensuring the safety of passenger ships, coastal vessels, and small ships. 

 

□ The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries launched the Korean e-Navigation establishment project in 2016. e-Nav equipment for ships has been gradually supplied since the end of 2019. To supply ships with the e-Nav device and prepare for the launch of the service in 2021, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries amended part of the criteria for the testing and examination of ship devices in Notice No. 2020-64 (2020.05.14.).

□ With the recent designation as the official testing institute, KRISO will be conducting product inspection, connection tests, and performance tests. Korea Testing Laboratory has been commissioned to perform environmental tests. 

□ Booki Kim, the president of KRISO, said,“With the widespread supply of the e-Nav display device, we plan to expand the scope of accreditation by Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) to the field of ship equipment software. In doing so, we hope to meet the demand for testing by institutes and industries, and embrace new technology related to autonomous ships and smart maritime logistics.”

□ Since 2014, Korea has been the only official institute for underwater pressure tests as approved by KOLAS.