Government Accelerates Autonomous Ship Development Through Regulatory Innovation... 180 Trillion Won Market by 2025

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Prepares 'Proactive Regulatory Innovation Roadmap for Autonomous Ship Navigation'

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The government will improve related regulations, including establishing legal standards for autonomous ship grade criteria and operating personnel, to support the development of autonomous ship technology, whose market size is expected to reach 180 trillion won by 2025.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 14th that it has prepared a "Proactive Regulatory Innovation Roadmap for Autonomous Ships." The government plans to secure a technology level capable of full autonomy from 2030 by identifying 31 improvement tasks across four major areas to revitalize the autonomous ship new industry and ensure maritime safety.

Autonomous ships are next-generation high value-added vessels that integrate core digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things, big data, and sensors to autonomously set optimal routes and navigate without crew members. The global autonomous ship market is expected to rapidly grow from 66 trillion won in 2016 to 95 trillion won this year and 180 trillion won by 2025.

The government will first establish grade criteria for autonomous ships and legal definitions for operators such as crew members and remote operators. Due to insufficient legal definitions related to autonomous ship technology, pilot operations for technology demonstration and commercialization are currently impossible outside regulatory free zones.

Labor standards for crew members will be established, and crew capacity standards will be set according to the level of autonomous ship technology. Additionally, a dedicated demonstration center will be built to facilitate smooth technology verification, and laws, testing, and safety standards for autonomous ship development and commercialization will be prepared to support systematic demonstrations.

Furthermore, the government will build systems and infrastructure related to autonomous ship operations and prepare guidelines for ship accident response and safety management. In particular, regulations necessary for establishing remote pilot systems, including remote communication systems between operators and pilots and automation and intelligence of pilotage operations, will be formulated.

The government expects that if this roadmap is implemented without delay, it will generate an economic ripple effect of about 56.5 trillion won and create 420,000 jobs by 2035. Maritime accidents caused by human error are expected to decrease by 75%, and environmental benefits worth 340 billion won annually are anticipated through the reduction of air pollutants.

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