NEWS

HD Hyundai is partnering with a domestic shipping company to jointly develop AI-based autonomous and eco-friendly ship technologies.

HD Hyundai announced on Wednesday the 30th that it recently signed a “strategic business agreement for joint development of AI-based autonomous and eco-friendly ship technologies” among four companies—HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HDKSOE), HD Hyundai Marine Solution, Avikus, and H-Line Shipping—at the HD Hyundai Global R&D Center in Pangyo.

Attendees at the signing ceremony included Jang Kwang-pil, head of HDKSOE’s Future Technology Research Institute; Seo Ho-dong, Chief Operating Officer of H-Line Shipping; Choi Bong-joon, Executive Director at HD Hyundai Marine Solution; and Im Do-hyung, CEO of Avikus.

The agreement was promoted to maximize the efficiency of vessel and fleet operation at a time when AI technologies—from autonomous navigation and engine automation to optimal route planning and maximized cargo-transport efficiency—are rapidly being expanded and applied across all aspects of ship operation.

Under the agreement, HD Hyundai and H-Line Shipping will jointly develop AI solutions that minimize fuel consumption, maximize ship-operating efficiency, and enhance safety.

HD Hyundai will be responsible for the actual integration and application of the technologies. The approach is to combine Avikus’s autonomous navigation solution “HiNAS” and HD Hyundai Marine Solution’s route-optimization solution “OceanWise” with HDKSOE’s AI-based cargo operation system “AI-CHS.” H-Line Shipping will provide an LNG carrier for technology demonstration.

HD Hyundai and H-Line Shipping plan to take the lead in the market by preemptively developing AI-based solutions that minimize costs throughout the entire vessel life cycle—from design, construction, and operation to maintenance—while enabling proactive responses to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)’s tightening environmental regulations.

Seo Ho-dong, Executive Vice President of H-Line Shipping, said, “Technology that uses AI to transport cargo via optimal routes is a key factor determining a shipping company’s competitiveness. Through this collaboration, we expect to further enhance the efficiency and safety of our fleet operations.”

Jang Kwang-pil, head of the Future Technology Research Institute at HDKSOE, said, “This collaboration marks the starting point of AI-based digital innovation that crosses the traditional boundaries between shipbuilding and shipping. It will serve as an important milestone in setting the standard for eco-friendly vessels of the future.”