HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) is conducting a demonstration of its autonomous navigation system on an 8,000 TEU containership built at its Ulsan facility. On November 4, 2024, the ship successfully performed collision avoidance maneuvers in the waters off Ulsan.
The vessel's speed and direction are being controlled remotely from HD Hyundai GRC in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do. Previously, the demonstration of autonomous operation faced challenges due to difficulties in inspecting ships for navigation systems and a lack of legal provisions for remote control. However, recent regulatory sandbox approvals have enabled this at-sea demonstration.
On July 18, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) approved 44 regulatory sandbox projects, including HD HHI's autonomous vessel demonstration. This regulatory framework allows companies to receive exemptions from current laws to innovate in emerging industries.
HD HHI aims to lead the international standards for autonomous ships based on the data collected during this demonstration. Earlier this year, its affiliate, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard, launched South Korea's first pilot vessel for autonomous navigation, the 1,800 TEU Pos Singapore.
In 2022, HD Hyundai's subsidiary Avikus achieved a significant milestone with the autonomous navigation of the LNG carrier Prism Courage, marking the world's first use of such technology in a transoceanic voyage.