On October 12, KR finalized inspections for the permanent installation of HiNas Control, the autonomous navigation system designed by Avikus, a firm specializing in autonomous navigation technology, on Pan Ocean's vessel SEA SHANGHAI, commencing its operation.

After successful commissioning and trials on the China-Singapore route, the vessel is now sailing to Brazil with the autonomous navigation solution.

KR, Avikus and Pan Ocean have jointly conducted trials to ensure the stable application of the autonomous navigation system.Various tests were conducted during the commissioning period, including route planning, route following, speed following, collision avoidance and safety function checks of the product's core functions, and the vessel successfully passed all the tests. 

Prior to the operation of the autonomous navigation system, the HiNas Control equipment was approved for permanent installation by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Panama Ship Registry after reviewing ship equipment standards, which is the first case of permanent installation approval. 

The Autonomous Navigation System is a system that fuses information collected from various navigational equipment and sensors with artificial intelligence (AI) and uses augmented reality (AR) to automatically operate the vessel to the optimal course and speed or avoid collisions. It is designed to assist navigation, such as reducing the fatigue level of seafarers, and is expected to contribute to the reduction of maritime accidents and the reduction of air pollutant emissions by helping ships operate safely and improve fuel efficiency.

The successful trial run and operation of the vessel is the first achievement of a five-party agreement signed in March between KR, Avikus, Pan Ocean, POS SM and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, which plans to continue joint research to statistically verify the fuel-saving effectiveness of autonomous operation by utilizing the operational data collected through this trial run.