SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, June 2, 2022
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, August 9, 2022
Avikus, HD Hyudai’s ship autonomous navigation subsidiary, successfully commercializes the Level 2 autonomous navigation solution for the first time in the world.
Avikus announced on August 8 that it had signed order contracts with Korea’s two shipping companies, SK Shipping and Sinokor Merchant Marine, for “HiNAS 2.0,” an autonomous navigation solution for large ships. HiNAS 2.0 will be installed from August next year on a total of 23 large vessels currently under construction, including container ships and LNG carriers.
HiNAS 2.0 is an autonomous control technology added to the Level 1 autonomous navigation solution (HiNAS 1.0) developed and commercialized by Avikus in 2020. It enables a vessel to handle various unexpected situations by, for example, controlling the speed or avoiding collisions through the deep learning-based situation recognition and judgment functions instead of merely supporting the crew’s decision-making.
In addition, a function was applied to create an optimal route based on the accumulated actual sailing data and to minimize fuel consumption by automatically controlling the engine output of the vessel.
HiNAS 2.0 is the Level 2 autonomous navigation system solution, and Avikus is the world’s first company to commercialize a Level 2 solution for both large vessels (merchant ships) and small ships (leisure boats).
Previously, Avikus won orders for a total of 170 HiNAS 1.0 from domestic and overseas shipping companies and also received orders for 50 HiBAS, an AI-based navigation assistance system.
Avikus obtained a statement of fact (SOF) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for the world’s first successful large-vessels’ self-driving ocean-crossing in June. As it is the world’s first certificate given to autonomous ship technology, it is expected to significantly help Avikus’s future self-driving market domination and expansion of sales power.
According to Acute Market Reports, a global market research firm, the autonomous navigation ships and related equipment market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 12.6 percent, reaching USD 235.7 billion in 2028.
Avikus CEO Do-hyeong Lim said, “We will carry out customized sales activities for global shipowners through the advancement of autonomous navigation technology.” He added, “In the future, we will strive to equip all large ships in the world with HiNAS 2.0 by obtaining approvals from various shipping societies and countries.”
Avikus plans to participate in the “Fort Lauderdale Boat Show 2022,” one of the world’s largest boat shows to be held in Florida, the United States, at the end of October, focusing on commercializing autonomous navigation solutions for leisure boats.
