- SHI and Evergreen successfully completed transpacific voyage with an autonomous container ship

- SHI and Evergreen conducted a demonstration on AI-driven cruise-speed control suing real-time weather forecasting.

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has taken a major step toward transforming the maritime and logistics sector by successfully demonstrating its AI-based autonomous navigation optimization technology.

SHI announced on the 25th that it has successfully completed a transpacific demonstration to validate its independently developed AI autonomous navigation system, the Samsung Autonomous Ship (SAS).

The AI-based SAS was installed on a 15,000-TEU container ship owned by Taiwan’s Evergreen. From August 25 to September 6, the system underwent functional testing across the Pacific Ocean, sailing from Oakland in the United States to Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

During the approximately 10,000-km voyage, SAS autonomously analyzed weather conditions every three hours and adjusted operations according to weather and route conditions without crew intervention. The system issued 104 optimal navigation guidance actions and executed 224 automatic vessel-control maneuvers, enabling fuel savings and ensuring arrival precisely on schedule (ETA).

In maritime transport, failure to meet scheduled arrival times due to worsening weather or other variables can cause supply-chain disruptions and increased logistics costs, resulting in significant losses for shipping companies. This has created growing demand for economical autonomous navigation technologies that analyze weather conditions and operational environments to support highly accurate arrival times.

SHI plans to continue joint research with Evergreen to further advance AI autonomous navigation technologies—from speed optimization to full route optimization—to deliver even greater, quantifiable fuel-efficiency improvements.

“SAS has evolved from a collision-avoidance support system into a solution capable of maintaining an economical speed profile while meeting scheduled arrival times,” said Dong-yeon Lee, Ship & Offshore Research Institute Director of SHI. “It will serve as an eco-friendly tool that contributes to the global maritime logistics industry by enabling tangible fuel-saving benefits.”

※ Developed in 2019, SAS integrates SHI`s latest ICT technologies, including:

• Situational awareness using fused data from radar, GPS, AIS (Automatic Identification System), and camera imagery

• Automatic engine and rudder control for collision-avoidance maneuvers

• An AI-based monitoring system providing day-and-night, blind-spot-free situational coverage