The Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) in collaboration with the telecommunications operator SK Telecom (SKT) came together for the development and verification of a 5-G based autonomous and remote control navigation test platform, with the use of a test ship.
According to the companies, the test ship was developed by SHI and has 3.3 meter length. Specifically, with the aid of a 5G-based LiDAR, a cloud-based IoT platform and T Live Caster, the test vessel successfully completed its mission by sailing in the sea near SHI’s Geoje shipyard.
Located about 250 kilometers from the shipyard, the companies were in the remote control center in Daejeon, where they set the ship’s destination and verified the autonomous navigation system, which allowed the test vessel to safely arrive to its destination, by avoiding and passing through the maritime obstacles.
Today’s successful test marks a meaningful step towards commercialization of technologies for autonomous navigation of ships powered by 5G.
…said Choi Il-gyu, Vice President and Head of B2B Business Office of SK Telecom.
Moreover, both companies ensured and tested the remote control ship operating capability, which enabled the vessel to be remotely controlled and operated via 5G connectivity, under real time circumstances.
The 5G-based autonomous and remote control navigation test platform is expected to significantly improve the safety of ships especially when sailing in narrow water or near shore and enable real-time monitoring of ships based on massive data sent to the IoT platform.
…SHI and SK Telecom said in their press release.
Previous this year, SHI has also inked a MoU with SK Telecom to boost the development of the 5G-based smart yard, back in March 2019. The smart yard aims to offer safer operations for vessels, while provide a more efficient and productive shipbuilding workplace via detection and control.
We have now secured an optimal research environment to make a leap in the area of autonomous navigation ship technologies by combining Samsung Heavy Industries’ autonomous and remote navigation system and SK Telecom’s 5G communication technologies.
…Shim, Yong-Lae, Vice President of SHI Ship & Offshore Research Institute, concluded.
Overall, with the autonomous vessel’s operations increasing, the Maritime UK has recently published an updated version of the industry Code of Practice for autonomous vessels, assisting owners to follow specific guidelines.
