South Korean ministry starts testing container ship equipped with autonomous navigation system
The industry ministry said Monday a container carrier equipped with a homegrown autonomous system departed from the southeastern port city of Busan to test key technologies, including intelligent navigation and cybersecurity, according to Yonhap.
The 1,800 twenty-foot equivalent unit container carrier plans to run such tests over a one-year period on routes connecting South Korea and Southeast Asia, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
The industry and oceans ministries have been carrying out a 160.3 billion-won (US$119 million) project that runs from 2020 to 2025 to develop homegrown autonomous navigation technologies in partnership with Pan Ocean Co.
The ship will conduct tests on key areas of the autonomous system, such as intelligent navigation, engine automation and cybersecurity, under safe weather and maritime traffic conditions.
It marks the first joint project launched by the government and the private sector to develop autopilot systems for ships.
"We plan to develop an autonomous system that maximizes safety while minimizing carbon emissions," Industrial Policy Director General Lee Seung-ryeol said, noting the government aims to continue providing support for the development of cutting-edge technologies.
