The Korean Register (KR) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DSME (Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering) agreeing to work together on increased digitalization and the development of smart and autonomous ship technology.

In its announcement, the KR noted that the MoU — signed on May 18 — will form a joint council and cooperate on smart and autonomous ship technologies and digitalization research.

 LEE Hyungchul, KR Chairman and CEO (left) and PARK DuSeon, DSME President & CEO (right) at the MOU signing ceremony.

"The key aspects of the joint collaboration include the development of a smart ship service to improve the safety and efficiency of ship navigation, development of Digital Data Exchange technology, development and verification/certification of autonomous navigation technology, joint development of crew training contents, and digital technology for smart yard implementation which will include smart sea trial operations and digital RT," KR said.

Digitalization in shipping

The KR noted that the development of, necessity and demand for smart technology is a crucial global issue regardless of industry boundaries.

In line with this trend, the shipbuilding industry is accelerating the construction of smart yards and securing core technologies for the autonomous and safe operation of ships, it added.

The KR noted that DSME will lead the development of smart ship and autonomous operation technologies using research from its own smart ship platform (DS4).

"To improve the safety and efficiency of ships in a rapidly changing digital environment, we will jointly develop smart services using technologies of the 4th industrial revolution, sharing data between shipyards and classification societies in real time,” said Lee Hyungchul, KR Chairman & CEO, adding, that through the deal, the companies will be able to improve the productivity and efficiency of business processes while actively responding to environmental regulations.

"With the collaboration with DSME, we will continue to provide KR's technology and support to solidify the development of autonomous ship technology and certification of the classification society," Hyungchul added.

Park DuSeon, DSME president & CEO, noted that DSME is committed to its research activities and focused on developing future-oriented smart ship and smart yard technologies.

"The commercialization of our digital transformation strategy is a key aspect of our competitiveness," Park said. "Our continuous R&D underpins our technical competitiveness, enabling us to preemptively prepare for the autonomous ship market and implement smart workplaces at the same time."