The domestic shipbuilding industry is accelerating the development of autonomous ships, which are considered the next generation of food sources. Equipped with advanced technology, autonomous ships navigate on their own and are a field in which countries are competing to gain the initiative in international technical standards.
The government recently designated artificial intelligence (AI) based autonomous ship technology as a national strategic technology and decided to provide tax benefits. Autonomous ships are also mentioned as a focus area for Korea and the United States to cooperate.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced the '2025 tax reform plan' on the 31st of last month, designating AI intelligent autonomous navigation technology as a national strategic technology (a technology recognized as strategically important for national economic security) with the goal of enhancing shipping competitiveness. Related equipment manufacturing and verification facilities have been added to business facilities. Autonomous ship technology and facilities will receive a higher tax credit rate compared to general technology or facility investments.
Autonomous ships are vessels equipped with AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and various sensors that navigate without human intervention through software systems. They are gaining attention as a technology that can enhance the efficiency and safety of ship operations while also addressing labor shortages.
Autonomous ships are one of the key tasks in Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation. The government revealed its policy to foster autonomous ships by creating a $150 billion (approximately 209 trillion won) shipbuilding cooperation fund as part of the Korea-U.S. tariff negotiation agreement. This aims to combine Korea's world-class ship design and construction competitiveness with the software strengths of the United States to seize the future shipbuilding market.
The joint development of unmanned ships between domestic shipbuilders and U.S. AI corporations is already underway. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries secured a contract last March for the conceptual design of unmanned surface vessels (USVs) for naval ships, and is currently collaborating with the U.S. AI software company Palantir Technologies to jointly develop a USV named TENEBRIS, with completion targeted for next year.
HD Hyundai Group is pushing for the commercialization of autonomous navigation systems through its specialized subsidiary Avikus. Avikus plans to supply its self-developed large vessel autonomous navigation solution, Hynas Control, to 30 ships of H-Line Shipping within this year.
Hynas Control corresponds to level 2 of autonomous ship operation, classified by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), where remote control is possible from another location while crew members are onboard. For shipping companies, utilizing AI autonomous navigation systems can optimize routes, thereby reducing transportation expenses and greenhouse gas emissions.
Samsung Heavy Industries is testing the unmanned autonomous ship Shift Auto. It is a fully autonomous vessel that was launched in the waters off Geoje last year, having commenced development in 2019.
Shift Auto is equipped with the autonomous navigation system Samsung Autonomous Ship (SAS) developed by Samsung Heavy Industries, automatically performing route setting and navigation without crew intervention. Data collected by CCTV, radar, and LiDAR (distance measuring sensors) mounted on the ship's exterior are gathered through Samsung Electronics' IoT system Smart Things. It is connected to low Earth orbit satellite communications, allowing for remote control.
The IMO plans to establish international standards for autonomous ships by 2032. It is known that the level of related technology in Korea lags 1 to 2 years behind European countries such as Norway. The government has been implementing the 'Act on the Promotion of Development and Commercialization of Autonomous Ships' since January and plans to publish a roadmap for autonomous ship technology development for the next 10 years through a public-private policy committee within this year.