[Sailing into the Future with K-Shipbuilding] "The Bow Cabin Symbolizes Advanced Technology... Cargo Capacity Also Increased"

Yoon Wonjun HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Automation Research Director
Remote Management via Engine Room Monitor... Moved to Accommodation Area Bow
"Automation, Starting Point of Ultra-Differentiated Smart Shipyard"

Editor's NoteAfter a boom in shipyards lasting 10 years, what lies ahead for the next decade? The secret to Korea's shipbuilding success has been its advanced technology, exemplified by LNG carriers. The future depends on who secures the technology first. From the transition to eco-friendly fuels in the carbon-neutral era to research on high-performance, high-efficiency, and environmentally friendly vessels, as well as automation, we examine the R&D status and strategies of the three major Korean shipbuilders.

On the 1st of this month, at the Ulsan HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyard, construction was underway on the world's first methanol-powered ultra-large container ship. It is the third vessel out of 18 ordered by the global shipping company Maersk.

Uniquely, this ship has its crew quarters located at the bow. This is the first time such a design has been used on an ultra-large vessel. Large cargo ships typically house major ship equipment such as turbines, engines, and boilers at the stern, and since crew members need to maintain and manage these facilities in real time, living quarters are usually installed at the stern as well. However, having crew quarters at the stern limits the number of containers that can be loaded due to international safety regulations requiring visibility during navigation, and also restricts loading weight, mass, and height. Installing crew quarters at the bow has long been a challenge in the shipbuilding industry.

Yoon Won-jun, Head of Automation Research Lab at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries [Photo by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries]

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was able to install the crew quarters at the bow thanks to HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering's automation technologies such as remote control. Instead of crew members physically moving back and forth to the engine room to manage equipment, remote management via monitors became possible. This increased space utilization and allowed for more cargo to be loaded.

Yoon Won-jun, head of the Automation Research Lab at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, said, "By moving the living quarters to the bow for the first time in the world on a large vessel, we increased container loading capacity and improved navigation visibility. Changing the form of container ships is not easy and requires many cutting-edge technologies." He added, "What made this possible was our world-class design capabilities and automation."

Yoon explained, "With just a PC and monitor or laptop, you can sit in an office and monitor everything in real time at a glance. Remote control is possible anytime with just one click." He said, "All systems are connected so that operations at the Ulsan shipyard can be monitored from the HD Hyundai Global Research & Development Center (GRC) in Bundang. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an electronics company."

Since 2021, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering has been promoting the ‘2030 Ultra-Gap Smart Shipyard (Future of Shipyard, FOS)’ project. The goal is to transform labor-intensive shipyards into digital shipyards to solve chronic labor shortages and create a safe workplace. The first phase, ‘Visible Shipyard,’ was completed last year, and this year they have entered the second phase, ‘Data-Connected and Predictive Shipyard.’ From 2027, they plan to build the third phase, ‘Intelligent Autonomous Operation Shipyard,’ minimizing human intervention to complete a smart shipyard.

Yoon Won-jun, Head of Automation Research Lab at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries [Photo by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries]

Yoon joined HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (then Hyundai Heavy Industries) in 1999 and has focused solely on automation for 25 years. In January this year, he received the ‘Korea Engineer Award’ from the Ministry of Science and ICT. He was recognized for developing a VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) reduction device and integrated control system that removes harmful substances from the air in painting factories (where paint is applied to prevent corrosion). According to the amended Air Quality Preservation Act of 2018, large painting factories exceeding 50,000㎥ are required to install VOC reduction devices. The VOC reduction device developed by Yoon can be installed at desired locations within painting factories and can operate in partial modes, saving more than 50% energy.

This device can be remotely controlled. Power is managed with a single click from three locations: the local control center, partial yard control center, and integrated control center. Yoon said, "Each time the process moves to the next stage, shipowners must conduct quality inspections, but painting factories equipped with VOC reduction devices and control systems pass inspections immediately without delay."

The installation cost is about 15 billion KRW per painting factory. There are 14 painting factories with volumes exceeding 50,000㎥, so the total exceeds 200 billion KRW. Yoon said, "Automation ultimately requires time and capital investment in facilities, so it is difficult to implement without strong support from management. The Hyundai Group spirit of ‘Have you tried?’ made many seemingly impossible technical challenges possible." He added, "The organizational strength of management believing ‘It's okay to fail, just try’ is also a strong advantage."

Yoon Won-jun, Head of Automation Research Lab at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries [Photo by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries]

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