South Korean Conglomerate HD Hyundai Affiliates Fast-Track Autonomous Navigation Technology at Sea

Two affiliates of South Korea’s conglomerate HD Hyundai have entered an agreement to jointly ‘fast-track’ the adoption and expansion of autonomous navigation technology at sea.

As disclosed, autonomous navigation systems provider Avikus and ship design affiliate HD Hyundai ENT (formerly E&T) inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on July 1, aiming to push this technology closer to broader commercial adoption.

More specifically, the initiative is to focus on two ‘key’ areas: the application and operation of Avikus’s HiNAS products and ‘comprehensive’ engineering collaboration across all domains related to autonomous navigation. The company secured validation from Norway-based classification society DNV for the HiNAS Control Standard on June 5, 2025.

Speaking about the development, Mansub Lee, CEO of HD Hyundai ENT, highlighted: “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.”

Since the end of 2024, Avikus has secured several contracts to supply the HiNAS solution. In December of that year, the maritime technology player inked a deal with compatriot shipping major H-Line Shipping to fit HiNAS Control on 5+5 vessels, with intentions to possibly extend it to 30 units.

Moreover, in April 2025, Singapore-based shipowner Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS) tapped Avikus to provide its system for one bulk carrier and one Suezmax tanker.

Efforts to promote the deployment of autonomous vessel solutions as well as maritime autonomous surface vessels (MASS) in South Korea have been on the rise, prompted by robust government backing, associated safety and cost benefits as well as ongoing regulatory groundwork.

In April this year, for instance, the East Asian nation’s Ministry of Ocean and Fisheries (MOF) announced a decade-long framework to modernize and ‘digitize’ its shipping industry, including advancements in autonomous transportation.

This came just months after MOF and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) revealed that the government had greenlit the Autonomous Ship Act, a “historic” piece of legislation aimed at promoting the development, demonstration and commercialization of MASS.

The act entered into force at the beginning of January, positioning South Korea as one of the first nations in the industry to create a framework of this kind.