Samsung Heavy Industries Successfully Validates Autonomous Navigation Technology Between Geoje and Taiwan

The Significance of Demonstration in Overseas Waters Connecting Jeju Island and Dokdo

Samsung Heavy Industries announced on the 6th that it has successfully verified autonomous ship navigation technology connecting South Korea to the South China Sea, the first in the industry.

Samsung Heavy Industries equipped a 15,000 TEU-class large container ship built at its Geoje shipyard with its independently developed Remote Autonomous Navigation System (SAS) and Smart Ship System (SVESSEL). From the 26th of last month to the 1st, the ship sailed approximately 1,500 km from Geoje, passing Jeju Island, to Kaohsiung Port in Taiwan, conducting a demonstration of autonomous navigation technology.

Samsung Heavy Industries announced on the 6th that it has successfully verified autonomous ship navigation technology connecting South Korea to the South China Sea for the first time in the industry. Samsung Heavy Industries' overhead display developed to monitor collision avoidance situations.

The demonstration test results confirmed that the system accurately identified more than 9,000 obstacles, including ships and buoys, within a 50 km radius during navigation, and safely guided avoidance routes in 90 encounters with actual vessels.

In particular, in the South China Sea area where large ship traffic is frequent, the system successfully demonstrated an upgraded level of autonomous navigation technology by precisely presenting safe avoidance routes when ships approached head-on or from the side, a highly challenging test.

The company explained that the routes adopted by Samsung Heavy Industries’ autonomous navigation system matched over 90% with the avoidance routes determined by experienced navigators.

The container ship used in the demonstration was equipped with various latest smart ship solutions developed by Samsung Heavy Industries, including a condition-based equipment maintenance system and an electronic logbook, enabling shipping companies to expect reduced crew workload and lower ship operating costs.

Kim Hyun-jo, head of Samsung Heavy Industries’ Autonomous Navigation Research Center, stated, "Following last year’s demonstration around Jeju Island and Dokdo, we have proven Samsung Heavy Industries’ advanced autonomous navigation technology by succeeding in a global route demonstration. We will continue to lead autonomous navigation and smart ship technology through ongoing research and development."

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