[CES2022] Jeong Gi-seon "Autonomous Navigation is the Future of the Sea"

Introduction of 'Future Builder' Vision at CES
Hyundai Heavy Industries Plans Commercialization Within This Year

Jung Ki-sun, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, is giving a presentation to domestic and international reporters at CES 2022 on the 5th (local time).

Hyundai Heavy Industries Group plans to apply autonomous navigation technology to large vessels and undertake transoceanic voyages in the first quarter of this year. If successful, it will be the world's first. Last year, they succeeded in a pilot autonomous operation of a small cruise ship along the domestic coast, and they aim to commercialize autonomous navigation technology for larger leisure boats within this year.

Jung Ki-sun, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings, said on the 5th (local time) at CES 2022, the world's largest electronics and IT exhibition, "I am confident that marine mobility with autonomous navigation technology will become a new future," adding, "It will revolutionize logistics, reduce accident risks, and also increase the potential for marine development."

Since about 80% of marine accidents are caused by navigation errors and humanity still dreams of a safe sea, the company clearly stated its intention to focus on autonomous navigation as a future growth engine and refine the technology. The company anticipates that it could change the landscape of marine development overall, including marine resource and ecosystem surveys and pollution source removal. Lim Do-hyung, CEO of Avikus, an autonomous navigation specialist company launched as an internal venture of Hyundai Heavy Industries, said, "(Last year) we succeeded in fully autonomous navigation in Pohang, and (our current technology) will be difficult for Japanese and Norwegian companies to catch up with in a short time," adding, "There are limitations in supplying only to large vessels, so we plan to quickly secure technology in the leisure boat and small vessel sectors, where more than 10 million vessels operate worldwide."

Visitors are experiencing autonomous navigation at the Hyundai Heavy Industries Group exhibition hall participating in CES 2022.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, the world's largest shipbuilder, and it is the first time the group has participated in this home appliance and IT exhibition. CEO Jung, who chairs the Future Committee overseeing new businesses at the group level, is directly managing new energy such as hydrogen, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, and robotics businesses, including autonomous navigation. During the conference and press briefings held during the exhibition, he actively promoted the group's future vision. He said, "(In the past) I thought preparing for the future was a luxury, but I deeply felt the importance of differentiated technology, and this year I am talking about the future," adding, "We will evolve from 'Shipbuilder' to 'Futurebuilder.'"

He also presented a concrete blueprint for the hydrogen-related new business unveiled last year. By 2025, they plan to establish a 100 MW-scale green hydrogen production plant and develop a 20,000 m³-class hydrogen carrier ship. Leading companies at home and abroad are focusing on hydrogen as a future energy source, and Hyundai Heavy Industries Group expects synergy by linking its main business pillars in shipbuilding, offshore, energy, and machinery.

Jeong Gi-seon, CEO of Hyundai Heavy Industries Holdings

Kim Sung-jun, head of the Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Future Technology Institute, said, "We plan to reduce green hydrogen production costs through large-scale offshore wind power and respond with unique ship-related technology for hydrogen carriers capable of long-distance transport," adding, "Starting commercialization in 2025, we expect to establish a leading position by 2030 when the entire value chain is aligned."

Plans to utilize intelligent robotics technology for future construction site safety were also revealed on the same day. As construction equipment is expected to move beyond digitalization to unmanned and autonomous stages, the concept involves surveying and analyzing the entire construction site and operating the entire process without human intervention. Hyundai Doosan Infracore and Hyundai Construction Equipment unveiled the Concept X project with these details at the event. The smart construction robot and platform service is planned to be commercialized from 2025. CEO Jung said, "To start a new 50 years, we will explore advanced technologies and seek cooperation opportunities with global companies."

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