A ship with AI engineers, deckhands?: HD KSOE makes it a reality

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now on everyone’s lips, and the shipping and shipbuilding industries are no exception to this global phenomenon.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (HD KSOE) said on Thursday it has developed the world’s first ship equipped with AI systems that work as if staffed by human engineers, sailors and deckhands.

The South Korean shipbuilder said its affiliate Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries Co. built a liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered bulk carrier equipped with two AI-based automated navigation systems called HiCBM and HiCAMS.

Hyundai Samho has already delivered the 180,000-ton bulker to Korea-based H-LINE Shipping, it said.

HiCBM, an autonomous machinery health management system, and HiCAMS, an autonomous safety management system, enable ships to diagnose the status of key ship equipment in real time and automatically recognize emergency situations, such as the outbreak of a fire.

They perform the role of AI crew members, taking the place of engineers and deckhands during ship operations, according to HD KSOE.

During the ship’s commissioning period, the two systems’ safety and reliability were verified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), it said.

Last September, HD KSOE, formerly known as Hyundai Heavy Industries, received approvals in principle (AIPs) for the two systems from the ABS.

The systems can also be applied to existing ships, it said.

CREATION OF CHIEF AI OFFICER

In June last year, a large commercial ship with autonomous sailing systems, developed by Avikus Co., a subsidiary of HD KSOE, successfully crossed the Atlantic, marking the world’s first to do so.

During its voyage, the vessel operated autonomously for a significant portion of the sailing course without human involvement.

Avikus, which specializes in developing autonomous navigation technology, was set up in December 2020 as Hyundai Heavy Industries Group’s first in-house startup and was spun off in January 2021.

HD KSOE is leading the shipbuilding industry’s efforts to embrace AI in unmanned self-sailing ships.

Last December, the company created the position of chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO) to propel a major business transformation through the advancement of ship technology.

“The advent of the era of AI and digital technology-based autonomous chips is inevitable,” said Byung-hoon Kwon, senior managing director at HD KSOE. “Based on this automated engineering solution, we will lead the development and commercialization of comprehensive autonomous ship technologies beyond navigational automation."

Write to Jae-Fu Kim at hu@hankyung.com

In-Soo Nam edited this article.