SM Korealine gets self-sailing approval from Panama

LNG bunkering vessel of subsidiary SM Korealine LNG comes equipped with unmanned navigation system developed by SHI

SM Korealine LNG's self-sailing LNG bunkering vessel the SM Jeju LNG 2
SM Korealine LNG's self-sailing LNG bunkering vessel the SM Jeju LNG 2
Jae-Fu Kim 1
2023-08-28 15:10:21 hu@hankyung.com
Shipping & Shipbuilding


SM Korealine Co., a unit of SM Group's maritime division, announced on Monday that its subsidiary Korealine LNG, has obtained approval for self-sailing from Panama, the flag state, for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) bunkering ship, the SM Jeju LNG 2.

An LNG bunkering vessel supplies LNG fuel to LNG-powered ships at sea. The SM Jeju LNG 2 is equipped with the Samsung Autonomous Ship (SAS) system developed by Samsung Heavy Industries.

Over the past year, the SM Jeju LNG 2 has been engaged in autonomous navigation trials on the Tongyeong-Jeju route. Based on the navigation trial data, according to SM Korealine, it has become the first vessel in South Korea to receive approval from the flag state.

The ship's development is a result of the joint research agreement titled "Collaborative Research on the Application of Autonomous Navigation Systems for Large- and Medium-sized Ships," signed by KLC SM (a ship management subsidiary of SM Group), Samsung Heavy Industries and the Korean Register in June of last year.

KLC SM and Samsung Heavy plan to establish standards for autonomous navigation safety procedures and crew roles during autonomous navigation based on operational data collected from the pilot ship. Furthermore, they intend to pioneer the autonomous navigation market through system upgrades that can be applied to oceanic and complex coastal navigation.

"This trial marks the opening of a new era of coastal autonomous navigation for large cargo vessels," said Kim Hyun-Jo, Director of the Autonomous Navigation Research Center at Samsung Heavy Industries, and emphasized that the collaboration between Samsung Heavy Industries, the Korean Register, and KLC SM led to this achievement using the company's remote autonomous navigation technology.

"We will actively cooperate in the development of advanced autonomous navigation systems and lead and prepare for the autonomous navigation ship market," commented Kim Man-Tae, CEO of SM Korealine.

Write to Jae-Fu Kim at hu@hankyung.com
#SM Korea Line #SM Group #SM Korea Line LNG #LNG bunkering ship #SM Jeju LNG 2 #Samsung Autonomous Ship system #Samsung Heavy Industries

SM Line joins growing list of S.Korean IPO dropouts

SM Line joins growing list of S.Korean IPO dropouts

A SM Line container ship departs from the port of Busan SM Line Corp. on Wednesday became the latest South Korean company to drop its initial public offering plan on disappointing institutional interest.The shipping company, wholly owned by the construction-focused SM Group, had planned to rais

SM Line sees light at the end of the tunnel: SM Group’s Woo

SM Line sees light at the end of the tunnel: SM Group’s Woo

SM Line container ship docked at the Port of Long Beach When SM Group, formerly known as Samla Midas Group, took over assets of bankrupt Hanjin Shipping Co., for 37 billion won ($32 million) at the end of 2016, hardly anyone in South Korea’s shipping industry believed the new owner could

Merchant liner SM Line to list on Kosdaq in November

Merchant liner SM Line to list on Kosdaq in November

South Korea’s merchant liner SM Line Corp. is set to become a publicly-traded company in November. SM Line has submitted its securities registration filing on Oct. 6 to the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) with IPO plans.Its IPO price band per share stands between 18,000 won ($15.12)

SM Line files for IPO review, aims for Kosdaq listing in second-half

SM Line files for IPO review, aims for Kosdaq listing in second-half

SM Line container ship South Korean merchant liner SM Line Corp. has filed for a preliminary review by the Korea Exchange of its plan to go public on the junior Kosdaq market in the second half of this year.According to the stock market operator on Tuesday, SM Line has submitted its initial pub

HMM, SM Line to deploy container ships to support Korean exporters

HMM, SM Line to deploy container ships to support Korean exporters

South Korea’s leading shipping companies have decided to deploy at least five container carriers on major sea routes to provide support for local exporters struggling to find ships amid soaring freight rates.HMM Co., the country's largest container line, will operate a ship with a capaci
(* comment hide *}