Avikus to supply Korean shipping companies with autonomous navigation technology

A LNG carrier built by Hyundai Heavy Industries [HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES]

Avikus, Hyundai Heavy Industries’ subsidiary specializing in autonomous navigation technology, signed an order with two Korean shipping companies to install an autonomous navigation solution for large ships.

Avikus announced that it had signed orders with SK Shipping and Sinokor Merchant Marine for HiNAS 2.0, an autonomous navigation solution for large ships. HiNAS 2.0 will be installed on 23 large vessels currently under construction, including container ships and LNG carriers, beginning August next year.

HiNAS 2.0 is a Level 2 autonomous navigation solution developed from the Level 1 autonomous navigation solution HiNAS 1.0.

Autonomous navigation solutions are ranked from Level 1 to Level 4, depending on how advanced the technology is. Level 4 is the most advanced level, requiring no human intervention.

Compared to its predecessor, the Level 2 solution enables vessels to autonomously sail in unexpected situations by controlling the speed of the ship or avoiding collisions through deep learning-based situation recognition functions.

With the announcement of the order Tuesday, Avikus became the world’s first company to commercialize a Level 2 autonomous navigation solution for both large vessels and small ships such as leisure boats. Previously, Avikus had received orders for a total of 170 HiNAS 1.0 solutions from domestic and overseas shipping companies.

According to Acute Market Reports, a global market research firm, the market for autonomous navigation ships and related equipment is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 12.6 percent, reaching $235.7 billion in 2028.

“We will carry out customized sales activities for global ship owners through the advancement of autonomous navigation technology,” said Avikus CEO Lim Do-hyeong. “In the future, we will strive to equip all large ships in the world with HiNAS 2.0 by obtaining approvals from various shipping societies and countries.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]