KR is developing an around view monitoring system that supports vessel pilots and captains as ships become increasingly autonomous and ports become increasingly smart.

Figure 1. Conceptual diagram of the around view monitoring system

The system provides visual information from around the ship, marine objects and environment information are analyzed after being identified by fusion sensors (cameras, LiDAR, GPS, IMU), together with alarm information regarding accident hazards, and information relating to the pilot’s operational area, when both autonomous and conventional ships are being piloted. It is expected that this system will be able to increase the efficiency of pilot works and reduce the accident rate.

Figure 2. Contents of the technology development

The system began development in 2021 and is due to continue until 2025 according to the system’s roadmap. The development stages include ‘development of fusion sensors and installation on existing ships’, ‘establishment of a DB consisting of berthing and un-berthing images’, ‘development of service modules’, ’integration of modules and development of a prototype system’, together with stabilization and commercialization.

As shown in Figure 2, fusion sensors including cameras, LiDAR, GPS, and IMU have been developed and installed on two SK Shipping vessels in 2021, with plans to install them on two more ships this year. The data collected from the sensor modules is being stored in KR’s onshore database server. KR is also going to develop technologies to recognize marine objects and environments via the pre-processing and optimization of collected data. Based on this, KR will develop service modules to support pilot works and alert pilots of dangerous situations.

KR will establish a prototype of the platform and modules. In addition, KR will improve service technologies, such as errors due to function integration and processing speed for data linkage, by installing the prototype on a ship and operating it on a trial basis. KR will then upgrade and stabilize the system through user and expert feedback to promote commercialization.