Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Begins Construction of Eco-Friendly Ship Research Support Facility

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is taking the first step toward building an eco-friendly ship ecosystem.

On the 27th, the Ministry announced that it will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the 'Eco-friendly Ship Research Support Facility' in Mokpo City, Jeollanam-do.

The Eco-friendly Ship Research Support Facility is a research facility established to proactively respond to the transition to an eco-friendly system in the shipbuilding and shipping industries due to the International Maritime Organization (IMO)'s strengthened environmental regulations. Located in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, where more than 50% of domestic small and medium-sized vessels are concentrated, it will support technology development and industrial revitalization related to eco-friendly ships.

The facility will consist of a ship electric propulsion system performance evaluation building, a mobile power supply system charging test building, an offshore testbed maintenance building, a research building, and an international cooperation building, with an investment of 39 billion KRW. The research facility is planned to be fully operational starting in 2025.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has laid the foundation for eco-friendly ship research support through R&D projects such as the development of electric propulsion roll-on/roll-off vessels, mobile power supply systems, and eco-friendly ship hybrid fuel technology development and demonstration. Jeollanam-do and Mokpo City provided the budget for the facility construction.

Additionally, the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering, together with the Jeonnam Development Corporation, was responsible for the design and construction of the facility to develop new technologies for eco-friendly ships and support companies, enhancing the completeness of the Eco-friendly Ship Research Support Facility.

Since enacting the "Act on the Development and Promotion of Environmentally Friendly Ships" in 2020 and announcing the first basic plan for eco-friendly ship development and promotion, the Ministry has made policy efforts to foster the eco-friendly ship industry. The goal is to increase the domestic eco-friendly ship ratio to 15% by 2030 and commercialize zero-carbon ships by 2050.

Song Myungdal, Director of the Marine Policy Office at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, said, "Through the successful establishment of the Eco-friendly Ship Research Support Facility, we hope it will be an opportunity for Korea's shipbuilding and shipping industry's eco-friendly ship technology to advance significantly and for Korea to lead the global ship market."

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