President Moon: "We Will Make K-Shipbuilding 'Overwhelming World No.1' Through Eco-Friendly and Smart Technologies" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] President Moon Jae-in expressed his ambition to foster eco-friendly and smart ship technologies to make South Korea's shipbuilding industry the overwhelming world No. 1. To this end, he announced plans to train 8,000 related personnel by 2022, increase productivity by 30% by 2030, and convert 3% of government vessels to eco-friendly ships.

On the afternoon of the 9th, President Moon attended the 'K-Ship Vision and Win-Win Cooperation Declaration Ceremony' held at Samsung Heavy Industries shipyard in Geoje, stating, "It is time to make the revitalized shipbuilding and shipping industries even stronger."

President Moon said, "This year, we achieved the largest shipbuilding orders in 13 years and regained the world's top status," adding, "With the 'Shipbuilding Industry Re-Leap Strategy,' we will further strengthen the power of our shipbuilding industry to become the overwhelming world No. 1 that no one can catch."

First, the plan is to strengthen eco-friendly and smart ship technologies. President Moon stated, "We will advance core technologies of low-carbon ships such as liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered vessels and prepare for the zero-carbon ship era with hydrogen and ammonia-powered ships," adding, "we aim to increase the global market share of eco-friendly ships from the current 66% to 75% by 2030."

He continued, "We will also accelerate the development of smart ships, aiming to achieve a 50% global market share by 2030. Starting this December, we will develop and test autonomous navigation systems capable of collision avoidance, optimal route determination, and fault prediction diagnostics," and added, "We will also smarten upstream and downstream industries such as shipping and steel by jointly building a smart ship data platform."

Investment in human resources will also be expanded. President Moon emphasized, "We will train 8,000 shipbuilding personnel by 2022 and increase the influx of new talent," and "By digitalizing production technologies and automating manufacturing processes, we will increase productivity by more than 30% by 2030."

A win-win ecosystem between large and small-to-medium enterprises will also be established. President Moon stated, "We will systematically support small shipyards and equipment industries in marketing, finance, export, and logistics so they can develop independent order capabilities," and "By 2030, we will convert 83% of government vessels to eco-friendly ships, significantly increasing domestic order opportunities for small businesses."

In this regard, three agreements were signed at the declaration ceremony on joint development of the smart ship data platform, future talent cultivation, and win-win cooperation between large and small-to-medium enterprises. President Moon said, "When companies, government, related organizations, large enterprises, and small businesses cooperate and coexist, the power of our shipbuilding industry will grow even stronger," adding, "South Korea will stand tall as a leading nation, using the foundation of an ‘unshakable world No. 1 shipbuilding powerhouse.’"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.