Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the world’s largest shipbuilder, has signed a memorandum of understanding to create an ecosystem for smart ships with SK Shipping, Intel, Microsoft, the Ulsan Center for Creative Economy and Innovation (UCCEI), and the Daejeon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation (DCCEI).

Under the MOU, HHI and its partners will join forces to help domestic small and medium-sized information and computer technology companies to develop software that meets the needs of shipowners for safe ship operation and improved crew wellbeing.

The Ship Service Software that is planned to be applied to smart ships by 2019 will enable ballast tank inspection, remote medical treatment services for crews, virtual reality training, automatic voyage information reporting, and maintenance of key equipment. HHI and SK Shipping will provide technological mentoring services and smart ship platforms for the software while UCCEI and DCCEI will hold briefing sessions for shipbuilders and shipping lines to encourage the participation

of the technology companies.

“The Korean shipbuilding industry was developed on the back of advanced manufacturing technology but now is the time for us to shift our focus to differentiated ship service technologies,” an HHI official said. “We see that customized and value-added software will play a role in reviving the industry.”

In May of this year, HHI and Accenture jointly unveiled OceanLink, their version of a smart ship, for the shipbuilding, shipping, and onshore-logistics sectors. With a network of sensors and analytics software, shipowners can monitor a ship’s status and condition in real-time and have at their disposal a wide range of ship operation information including weather, location, and onboard equipment and cargo status data.