Autonomous Ship Performance Demonstration Center Project

- KRISO partners with Ulsan for successful establishment and operation of new center -

- KRISO, Ulsan, and Autonomous Ship Integrated Project Group sign agreement, paving the way to leading the global market -

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□ On September 9, Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (KRISO) signed an agreement on the establishment and operation of an autonomous ship performance demonstration center with Ulsan Metropolitan City and the Autonomous Ship Integrated Project Group.

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□ The agreement was signed by KRISO (President Booki Kim), Ulsan Metropolitan City (Mayor Chul-ho Song), and the Autonomous Ship Integrated Project Group (Head Jin Kim).

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□ KRISO and the two parties agreed to cooperate in technology and infrastructure development for the establishment and operation of an autonomous ship performance demonstration center, and the advancement of the shipbuilding industry.

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□ Autonomous ships, or smart ships, refer to ships capable of assisting human decision-making and independent navigation based on AI, IoT, big data, and sensors.

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□ With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, industries have adopted smart convergence, and developed countries including the United Kingdom are developing autonomous ship technology.

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□ Korea has chosen autonomous ships as a new growth engine to overcome the recent depression faced by the shipbuilding industry. It will strive to secure competitiveness in shipbuilding technology, develop core technology with high value-addedness, and occupy a leading position in the autonomous ship market.

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□ The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will invest a total of 160.3 billion won, and implement the autonomous ship technology development project as a national project covering the development of 13 core technology in four areas.

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□ KRISO aims for Korea to secure a leading position in the global autonomous ship market based on the new business model derived from accumulated big data and ICT, as well as the smart automated system achieved by adopting an intelligent systems approach.

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□ The project will be led by the Autonomous Ship Integrated Project Group, jointly operated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

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□ KRISO will establish infrastructure for the development, testing and evaluation of core technology related to autonomous ships, and provide accumulated data on trial runs, navigation, and performance to shipping companies, shipyards, and shipbuilding equipment manufacturers.

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□ Ulsan Metropolitan City will be establishing an autonomous ship performance demonstration center.

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□ The autonomous ship performance demonstration center will receive a total of 20.3 billion won (10.8 billion from the government, 9.5 billion from the city). The 1,200㎡ building (1 basement, 3 upper floors) will be built on a site measuring 9,384㎡ at 77, Goneul-ro, Dong-gu, Ulsan. The construction will begin in October 2021, and end in June 2022.

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□ Under the project, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will be in charge of shipbuilding-related areas, including autonomous navigation and intelligent navigation systems, advanced sensing equipment and engineering technology, and autonomous ship performance verification technology. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will be responsible for developing the autonomous ship system, which integrates autonomous ship/port connection systems, provision of services within harbor limit, accident response technology, operation of autonomous ships, and international standardization technology.

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□ Chul-ho Song, the mayor of Ulsan, said, “We have exerted significant efforts to enhance research competence in ships and ocean engineering, and to strengthen the competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry. The project is expected to enhance Ulsan’s status in the global autonomous ship market, thereby creating more jobs and stimulating the local economy.”

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□ Booki Kim, the president of KRISO, said, “With the shift in paradigm to smart convergence, autonomous ships are recognized as essential technology for the future shipbuilding industry. We will contribute to creating a brighter future for the shipbuilding industry by cooperating in the development of technology and infrastructure for the autonomous ship performance demonstration center.”