THREE of the leading maritime players in Southeast Asia have joined forces to utilize artificial intelligence (AI) to verify reductions in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on ships.
The joint project was entered into by ClassNK, a Japan-based international classification society, Evergreen Marine Corporation, a Taiwanese container shipping company, and Samsung Heavy Industries, a South Korean shipbuilding company.
They will be joined by Weathernews Inc., one of the world’s largest private weather information companies that is based in Japan.
The group signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a cooperative framework to verify how AI-based autonomous navigation system can reduce GHG emissions from ships.
The move follows the maritime industry’s decarbonization efforts, with member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) unanimously setting a target for net-zero emissions by 2050 and an increased uptake of zero or near-zero GHG emission fuels or energy sources to at least 10 percent of shipping’s energy use by 2030.
According to ClassNK, it will continue to actively support innovative initiatives aimed at decarbonizing the maritime industry, contributing to the practical implementation of advanced technologies and the realization of sustainable maritime transportation, spanning both updated safety standards for alternative fuels and independent verification of AI-driven efficiency technologies.
Using an actual commercial vessel operated by Evergreen, the project will utilize the autonomous navigation system “Samsung Autonomous Ship (SAS)” developed by Samsung Heavy Industries.
The SAS will be supported by meteorological and oceanographic data provided by Weathernews.
In detail, Evergreen will provide the demonstration vessel, operational and fuel consumption data, and crew cooperation. Samsung Heavy Industries will operate the speed optimization algorithm, manage real-time vessel control and install and maintain the SAS equipment. Weathernews will develop baseline voyage routes and supply high-resolution and historical weather and ocean forecasting data.
Meanwhile, ClassNK will conduct technical review of the verification methodology and independent evaluation of the project results.
Through analysis of the vessel’s data and fuel consumption based on real-operational conditions, the project will verify the effectiveness of AI-based voyage optimization technology.
