South Korea Launches 1st Container Ship Built for Autonomous Operations
South Korea has launched a container ship to promote autonomous shipping operations.
The nation’s Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries described the ship as the first oceangoing vessel for Level Three autonomous shipping.
There are plans to undertake the first demonstration of autonomous shipping with this ship in the latter part of the year.
Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co. held the vessel’s christening event on Friday.
The 1800 TEU vessel, Pos Singapore, will be given to Pan Ocean Co. by the end of this month.
The order for this ship was placed in 2022, It is 172 m or 564 ft long and is registered in Liberia.
The ship is designed to function autonomously without any crew, and its operations would be controlled by a remote control.
The South Korean government announced autonomous ships as the main goal of the Advanced Maritime Mobility Development Strategy in 2023.
The autonomous shipping project was launched in 2020, and the government gave over $120 million to research and develop these technologies.
South Korea has tested several autonomous systems over the last few years.
The system includes autonomous navigation, communication, security technologies, and advanced digital agency monitoring systems.
The plan is for Pos Singapore to conduct its first trials on an international shipping route in September 2024.