Avikus and HD Hyundai ENT, both affiliates of HD Hyundai, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance the adoption and growth of autonomous navigation technology.
The MoU, signed at Avikus headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, underscores a collaborative effort to apply and operate the Hyundai intelligent navigation assistant system (HiNAS) products on vessels.
The collaboration also aims to foster extensive engineering partnerships across all aspects of autonomous navigation technology.
Avikus CEO Dohyeong Lim stated: “This agreement marks the starting point of synergistic collaboration among HD Hyundai affiliates to accelerate the commercialisation of autonomous navigation technology.
“By combining HD Hyundai ENT’s system engineering capabilities with Avikus’ autonomous navigation expertise, we will enhance the completeness of the technology and set new standards for the industry.”
The agreement, witnessed by Avikus CEO Dohyeong Lim and HD Hyundai ENT CEO Mansub Lee, is set to leverage shared human resources and infrastructure, marking a significant step towards realising HD Hyundai Group’s vision for future growth in autonomous navigation technology.
HD Hyundai ENT CEO Mansub Lee stated: “As the autonomous ship market is expected to continue its steady growth, securing core technologies and ensuring technological security are becoming increasingly important.
“Through strategic collaboration among group affiliates, we will strengthen our technological competitiveness and continue to support one another actively.”
In a related development, Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) has entrusted Avikus with a retrofit contract to install an AI-based autonomous navigation system on two of its managed vessels.
The contract includes the implementation of Avikus’ HiNAS control, situational vision monitoring HiNAS cloud systems on a bulk carrier and a Suezmax tanker, integrating advanced hardware and software solutions with an analytics platform.
HD Hyundai has also announced a partnership with Tampa Ship, a member of the Edison Chouest Offshore group.
This partnership focuses on the construction of medium-sized liquefied natural gas dual-fuel container ships, with the initial deliveries scheduled for 2028.