KR, HHI, Avikus and LISCR сollaborate to сommercialize autonomous navigation system
Korean Register (KR) will be closely collaborating with Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and its subsidiary Avikus as well as the Liberian Registry (LISCR) to commercialize autonomous navigation technology, according to the company's release.
The four parties signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at HHI’s headquarters in Ulsan, Korea on 26 August to collaborate on bringing the Hyundai Intelligent Navigation Assistant System (HiNAS 2.0) to market.
HiNAS 2.0 will be installed on KR classed and LISCR registered ships in July of next year. HiNAS 2.0 uses artificial intelligence to recognize the surrounding environment, such as weather and wave heights, and nearby ships, and then goes beyond providing simple information and controls the vessel's steering commands and speed in real-time to avoid collision risk. The system uses augmented reality (AR) to guide optimal routes. The solution was developed for increasing fuel efficiency and to ease the operational burden on bridge teams. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) categorizes autonomous ship operations into four levels.
A ship with automated process and decision support is referred to as the Level 1. Level 2 autonomous operations is described as a remote controlled ship with seafarers on board. At Level 3, the ship is remotely controlled without any seafarers on board, and with Level 4, the ship is fully autonomous.
Most commercialized autonomous navigation systems are currently at Level 1, but HiNAS 2.0 is aiming to be the most advanced solution of the existing autonomous navigation systems at Level 2.
Korean Register (KR) was established in 1960 with the purpose of promoting safety of life, property and the protection of the marine environment. KR currently classes an international fleet of 3,069 vessels totaling 79 million GT. It is headquartered in Busan, South Korea with a network of 66 offices around the world. KR is authorized to perform statutory and certification services in 81 countries around the world. AVIKUS AVIKUS was established in 2021 as a first start-up company of Hyundai Heavy Industry group for the developing autonomous navigation solution. AVIKUS is targeting commercial maritime industry and leisure boat market. For commercial maritime industry, AVIKUS has three product HiNAS1.0 (AI based target detection assistant system), HiBAS (Camera based surrounding view system to assist berthing and unberthing situation) and HiNAS2.0 (AI based autonomous shipping solution). Currently HiNAS1.0 has been ordered to deploy more than 250 vessels.
