KRISO, laying out the future of shipbuilding and marine industries with Hyundai Heavy Industries

▶ Leading the way in the development of new technology to comply with regulations on underwater radiated noise from ships 

▶ Pushing forward the commercialization of new technology to lead the global market and respond to international regulations while discussing cooperation strategies

□ With the recent paradigm shift in the international maritime environment, characterized by decarbonization and digital transformation, the Korea Research Institute of Ships and Ocean Engineering (KRISO) is pushing forward cooperation with the private sector to increase the technological competitiveness of the country's shipbuilding and marine industry.

□ On August 18, KRISO (led by President Booki Kim) announced that the "3rd KRISO-Hyundai Heavy Industries Group Technology Cooperation Meeting" had been jointly held with the Advanced Research Center (led by Sung-jun Kim) of the Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) at KRISO's main building (Daejeon).

□ The technology cooperation meeting was attended by Booki Kim, President of KRISO, Sung-jun Kim, Head of KSOE's Advanced Research Center, and 20-plus executives from both institutes dedicated to each technology sector.

□ The KRISO-Hyundai Heavy Industries Group Technology Cooperation Meeting was first organized in 2019 as a venue where both institutions can share their technologies and innovative research achievements to create synergy and achieve shared goals. The second meeting was held in 2020, followed by the third one this year.  

□ In the third meeting this year, the results of research on the development of technology for reducing underwater radiated noise from ships, which had been jointly conducted since the first meeting, were shared.

□ KRISO's underwater radiated noise* reduction technology for ships was tested on Hyundai Heavy Industries Group's ships and, as a result, was verified for its ability to reduce underwater radiated noise from ships. In recognition of its performance, the technology was selected as a vessel quieting technology by Canada's EcoAction Program. Furthermore, with the technical support of KRISO regarding underwater radiated noise reduction, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group's ships received quiet ship notations from Norway's DNV and the UK's Lloyd's Register (LR), respectively. Notably, ONEX PEACE, a tanker built by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries, has become the world's first large-scale merchant ship to receive DNV's SILENT-E notation.

* Underwater radiated noise refers to noise that is generated by machines and propulsion systems installed on ships and then radiated underwater. As the size and speed of ships increase, this noise is increasingly disturbing the aquatic ecosystem, causing damage to underwater mammals such as whales.

□ The underwater radiated noise reduction technology for ships, developed based on cooperation between the two institutions, is expected to be widely used as an effective tool to respond to further regulations for marine environment protection to be imposed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) going forward at the national level.

□ Meanwhile, the two institutions have also decided to further expand cooperation to lead the paradigm shift in the shipbuilding and marine industry and increase the country's competitiveness in the global market by focusing more on base technology development based on eco-friendly, digital technologies and large-scale research infrastructure, as follows: △ Autonomous ships △ Low-vibration, low-noise, and high-performance ships △ Propellers made of composite materials △ Propulsion systems using alternative fuels △ Electrical propulsion systems △ Ice model basin facility for performance evaluation.

□ In addition, the two institutions agreed to identify new cooperation areas to take the lead in the future market and increase the stature of the country's shipbuilding and marine industry on the global stage based on close cooperation, as follows: △ Shipbuilding, marine, and nuclear power (small modular reactor, SMR) △ Novel energy saving devices (EDS) △ Offshore hydrogen supply chain △ Offshore carbon capture storage (CCS) △ Offshore launch pads. 

□ Booki Kim, the President of KRISO, said, "The shipbuilding and marine industry is one of the most important growth engines for the country's economy. Our institution will be tirelessly committed to developing core, original technology while enhancing our capacity to provide substantial support to the industry." 

□ Sung-jun Kim, the Head of KSOE's Advanced Research Center, said, "We will continue to cooperate with KRISO to lead the global shipbuilding and marine industry for years to come and take the country's technological competitiveness to the next level."

□ KRISO plans to continue cooperation with Hyundai Heavy Industries Group and other corporations to keep up with the government's vision of private sector-driven economic growth.