Samsung Heavy Industries completes the first-ever sea trial of its unmanned ship technology in South Korea.

On November 24, Samsung Heavy Industries announced that the "World Road" training ship, equipped with its independently developed remote autonomous navigation system "SAS (Samsung Autonomous Ship)", completed sea trials along the coast of islands connecting the South Sea and East Sea in the Yellow Sea of South Korea. This is also the first autonomous navigation vessel sea trial in South Korea under complex maritime conditions.

It is reported that starting from November 15, the 9200-ton large training ship "World Road" of Mokpo National Maritime University set sail from the west coast of Mokpo, South Jeolla Province, passing Ieo Island and Jeju Island in the South Sea of Korea and Dokdo (Takeshima in Japanese) in the East Sea of Korea, conducting autonomous navigation sea trials within a range of approximately 950 kilometers.

During autonomous navigation, the "World Road" successfully avoided 29 collision dangers with other vessels, maintaining safe navigation. Especially when passing near Ieo Island, where maritime operations are active, in the event of a compound collision hazard from multiple fishing boats approaching simultaneously from the bow and starboard side of the "World Road", the SAS autonomous navigation system made cognitive computing and collision avoidance decisions after real-time perception, prompting a correct and safe avoidance path every 5 seconds, demonstrating its excellent performance.

Samsung Heavy Industries stated that this sea trial was a test to confirm the performance and stability of the SAS autonomous navigation system under complex and diverse collision hazards based on the characteristics of the Korean marine environment, and its successful verification has become an opportunity for further upgrading of Samsung Heavy Industries' autonomous navigation technology.

SAS can analyze in real time the signals from nautical communication equipment installed on the vessel, such as radar, GPS, and AIS, and identify surrounding vessels and obstacles. The system can evaluate the vessel collision risk (CRI) according to the vessel's navigation characteristics, find the optimal collision avoidance path, and automatically control the vessel through propulsion and steering devices, allowing the vessel to safely navigate to its destination independently. In addition, by applying a shipborne 360-degree panoramic monitoring image system (AroundView) and LTE/5G mobile communication technology, the vessel's images can be directly overlooked at a distant land-based control center, enabling remote control of the vessel.

It is reported that Samsung Heavy Industries also obtained permission for the "Special Case of Ship Safety Law for Autonomous Navigation System (SAS) Vessel Verification" from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of Korea for the first time. Especially in the current situation where safety regulations for autonomous navigation vessel sea trials have not yet been established in the industry, Samsung Heavy Industries, Mokpo National Maritime University, and Korea Register (KR) jointly formulated safety navigation guidelines such as overall risk assessment, hazard identification, and risk management plans for autonomous navigation vessel operations. After discussion and approval by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries of Korea, this became the first case to provide a legal basis for autonomous navigation vessel verification.

Kim-Hyuncho, director of the Samsung Heavy Industries Ship & Ocean Research Center, said: "This verification is a meaningful achievement that verifies the performance and operational stability of SAS on a real and complex marine route. As a pioneer in autonomous navigation technology for vessels, Samsung Heavy Industries will play a role and fulfill its responsibilities in promoting technological innovation and establishing relevant safety regulations and systems."

With the goal of commercializing the SAS system, Samsung Heavy Industries has been committed to the research and development of remote autonomous navigation technology since 2016, and has made continuous breakthroughs. In December 2019, Samsung Heavy Industries, in conjunction with SK Telecom, the largest mobile communication operator in Korea, successfully conducted a trial voyage of the 3.3-meter model ship "EasyGo" in the waters near its Geoje shipyard, which can be remotely controlled by 5G, providing the research environment needed for the commercialization of autonomous remote navigation technology for vessels using 5G communication technology.