Avikus, the autonomous navigation in-house start-up developed by South Korea’s largest shipbuilder, HD Hyundai, unveiled results from further recent trials, suggesting AI-controlled ships can save significantly when it comes to fuel bills.
Verified results from a Pan Ocean VLOC travelling back and forth between Singapore and Brazil have shown to reduce fuel use by as much as 15% with carbon emissions down by 10%. The results were verified by the shipbuilder, shipowner and class society, Korean Register.
HiNAS Control, developed by Avikus, is an artificial intelligence-based autonomous navigation system that integrates information provided from various navigation equipment and sensors to automatically control the ship’s direction and speed without navigator intervention. HiNAS also is capable of assisting with collision avoidance.
“This certification is significant in that it proves that it is possible to actively respond to carbon emissions regulation through the use of autonomous navigation technology,” said Lim Do-hyeong, CEO of Avikus. “Autonomous ships represent a new turning point in the sustainable development of the shipping industry. We are looking forward to rolling out this technology on other platforms in the future.”
Avikus successfully completed the world’s first transoceanic autonomous operation of an LNG carrier in June 2022, recording a 7% improvement in fuel efficiency and a 5% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions at the time.
