According to industry sources, the MOU was signed on June 4 at the Posidonia maritime exhibition in Athens, Greece, with HJ Shipbuilding CEO Yoo Sang-cheol and HD Hyundai Avikus CEO Kang Jae-ho in attendance. HD Hyundai Avikus is a subsidiary established by HD Hyundai in 2020, specializing in autonomous navigation solutions for ships.
The agreement stipulates that HJ Shipbuilding will apply the HiNAS Control, a second-stage autonomous navigation solution developed by HD Hyundai Avikus, to the vessels it designs and constructs, and the two companies will continue their technical collaboration in the future.
An HJ Shipbuilding representative explained that the MOU aims to enhance the company's competitiveness in smart ship and digital vessel technologies while expanding the application of autonomous navigation technology to secure a proactive stance in the next-generation high-value ship market.
As demand for digitalization and autonomous vessels grows in the global shipping and shipbuilding markets, competition to develop smart ship technologies that maximize safety and efficiency in vessel navigation is intensifying. Utilizing autonomous vessels can significantly reduce operating costs, which account for approximately 80% of commercial shipping expenses, including fuel and labor costs.
Yoo Sang-cheol, CEO of HJ Shipbuilding, stated, "As the trend towards unmanned vessels accelerates, the need for proactive responses in the future ship market is increasing. This agreement lays the foundation for our development of autonomous vessels, and we will continuously build our track record to enhance our technological capabilities."
Additionally, on June 4, HJ Shipbuilding received design concept approval from the Korean Register (KR) for a 10,000 TEU biofuel-powered container ship, demonstrating its proactive approach to meeting the demand for high-value vessels in the global shipbuilding market.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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