KRISO joins hands with Jeollanam-do Province to promote eco-friendly coastal ship industry 

- Signed an MOU with Jeollanam-do Province, Mokpo City, and UST to establish an eco-friendly coastal ship cluster -

□ On the 22nd, the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO) signed an MOU with Jeollanam-do Province, Mokpo City, and the University of Science and Technology (UST) to establish an eco-friendly coastal ship cluster.

□ The signing ceremony was attended by Booki Kim, the President of KRISO; Yung-rok Kim, the Governor of Jeollanam-do Province; Jong-sik Kim, Mokpo Mayor; and Ieehwan KIM, the President of UST.

□ This MOU aims to transform the shipbuilding industry into a new futuristic industry by developing and demonstrating eco-friendly shipbuilding technology, including fully electric ships and LNG hybrid ships, while also taking proactive measures to respond to international regulations on ship greenhouse gas emissions.

□ KRISO plans to establish a full-cycle technology development system, from R&D to commercialization. To this end, the institute will build a research base for eco-friendly fuel propulsion technology in and near the brownfield land in the Mokpo South Port (65,000㎡) by 2025 and also establish a testbed for eco-friendly ships and especially those that operate in coastal areas.

□ UST has established a master's and doctoral degree program named the "Eco-friendly Fuel Propulsion Convergence I-CORE (contract-based department)" in KRISO. This program aims to train and nurture the country's best technical professionals with expertise in eco-friendly ships, and will start from 2023 in the research base in Mokpo. The graduates are guaranteed jobs with the local businesses.

□ Jeollanam-do Province and Mokpo City plan to provide KRISO with support in developing technology and conducting demonstration projects to ensure the smooth establishment of the futuristic eco-friendly ship cluster in the region while actively engaging in the transition of the shipbuilding industry into a new eco-friendly industry using new technology.

□ In April, KRISO, along with Jeollanam-do Province and Mokpo City, already won a project initiated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries named the "Electric Passenger and Vehicle Ship and Mobile Power Supply System Development" project. This project aims to develop an electric passenger and vehicle ship that operates on a mobile power supply system for the first time in the world, and, to this end, a total of 45.1 billion won will be invested over the period of five years by 2024.

□ Given that eco-friendly ship technology development is still in its early stages worldwide, this MOU will be an important starting point to transform the country's coastal ship industry, which is lagging behind those of other countries, into a high-tech industry, thereby allowing Jeollanam-do Province to take the lead in the eco-friendly ship industry for years to come.

□ Governor Yung-rok Kim said, "The shipbuilding industry is our province's flagship industry, and we have the largest number of coastal ships, such as fishing boats and passenger ships, among the country's provinces. Therefore, our province ensures the best conditions for futuristic eco-friendly coastal ship development and demonstration. We will provide a new direction for our local shipbuilding industry to prosper by promoting the eco-friendly coastal ship sector and further strengthen our dominance in the global coastal ship market, a high value-added market worth 30 trillion won."

□ Booki Kim, the President of KRISO, said, "Industrial clustering, which integrates R&D hubs with demonstration sites, is the prerequisite for us to take the lead in the next-generation eco-friendly ship industry. We will establish the global-level infrastructure and continue to produce great achievements to lead not only the domestic market but also the global market going forward."

□ Ieehwan KIM, the President of UST, said, "We will make all efforts to establish a new industry-friendly education system using local research infrastructure at the government-funded research institute to nurture and train high-performing talent with expertise in eco-friendly fuel propulsion technology, in which multidisciplinary technology convergence is required."