SEOUL, Jan. 6 (BNA): Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, the world’s largest shipbuilder by sales, announced Thursday that it will operate the world’s first independent ship in the first quarter, as it strives to secure new growth drivers.
Hyundai Heavy has introduced autonomous navigation technologies that will greatly help reduce the possibility of marine accidents, change marine logistics and develop marine resources.
“We plan to have the world’s first large-scale autonomous ocean voyage during the first quarter. Our mission is to enable fully autonomous navigation to create the safest and most intelligent vessels,” said Jo Hyo Jeong, Avikus engineer. Press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Avikus is the autonomous navigation system development unit of South Korean shipbuilder Ulsan.
But autonomous navigation technology has an extra way to go before port-to-port services.
Autonomous navigation technology is one of the three core technologies the shipbuilding conglomerate is seeking to power, along with liquid hydrogen transport and propulsion system technology, intelligent robotics and solution technology.
Chung Ki-sun, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holding Company said at the conference.
For its second hydrogen technology, the company outlined the marine hydrogen value chain as a solution to climate change.
“Hydrogen production technology and liquid hydrogen carrier as core technologies will increase the possibilities of marine hydrogen trade,” said Kim Sung-joon, president of the Korea Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Corporation (KSOE).
He said the group plans to build a 100-megawatt hydrogen production plant and develop the world’s first hydrogen carrier of 20,000 cubic meters by 2025.
KSOE is a subsidiary of the group and has three subsidiaries – Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries – under its wing.
The group said it also plans to commercialize smart building robots and related platform services by 2025 with the goal of achieving unmanned construction sites.
“Smart robotics technology will help make construction sites safer and more efficient,” said Michael Rio of Clue Insights, developer of equipment management solutions based on big data for the group.
MI