Hyundai Glovis will verify remote navigation technology for pure car and truck carriers (PCTCs) to prepare for the future era of autonomous ships. The strategy is to upgrade currently operated autonomous navigation assistance technology to the remote navigation stage and secure the technology and operating capabilities needed for the coming era of unmanned, fully autonomous navigation.
Hyundai Glovis said on the 8th that on the 2nd (local time) in Athens, Greece, at the Posidonia 2026 international shipbuilding and maritime exhibition, it signed a four-party memorandum of understanding (MOU) for developing and verifying a PCTC remote navigation control concept with its ship management subsidiary G-Marine Service, autonomous navigation solution specialist Avikus, and Korean Register (KR).
The agreement was arranged to verify the applicability of remote navigation technology and operating systems for PCTCs operated by Hyundai Glovis.
Hyundai Glovis is operating eight PCTCs equipped with Avikus' autonomous navigation solution HiNAS Control. HiNAS Control is an autonomous navigation system that analyzes data collected from onboard navigation equipment and sensors with artificial intelligence (AI) to propose optimal routes and support collision avoidance and speed control. Hyundai Glovis plans to expand the application of this solution to newly built vessels.
Autonomous ship technology is evolving from the current autonomous navigation assistance (L1) stage, which supports crew decision-making, to remote navigation (L2), in which ships with crew onboard are controlled from shore, to unmanned remote navigation (L3), and ultimately to fully autonomous navigation (L4).
Hyundai Glovis plans to verify the technology and operating systems required for the L2 stage through this demonstration. It also plans to detail the technology and operating systems needed to establish a remote operation center (ROC). A remote operation center is an integrated operating system that monitors ship status in real time from shore and supports and controls navigation, and is considered core infrastructure for the future eras of remote and fully autonomous navigation.
The four companies participating in the MOU will verify the applicability of remote navigation technology and operating systems during the demonstration. Hyundai Glovis will provide ship operation experience and navigation data, and Avikus will handle autonomous navigation solutions and technology verification. G-Marine Service will support reviews of operating procedures and emergency response systems, and Korean Register will take charge of safety assessments and technical reviews.
A Hyundai Glovis official said, "This demonstration is an important step to advance the autonomous navigation assistance technology currently in operation to the remote navigation stage," adding, "We will accumulate operating experience based on actual navigation data and gradually secure the technology and operating systems needed for the coming era of fully autonomous navigation."