The Korean giant successfully tests Sas technology aboard an Evergreen container ship between Oakland and Kaohsiung
Seoul – Samsung Heavy Industries has announced the successful completion of a trans-Pacific crossing using its autonomous navigation system, marking a new step forward in the race between South Korean shipyards on artificial intelligence-driven shipping technologies.
The Samsung AutonomousShip (Sas) system was installed aboard a 15,000 teu container ship from Evergreen Marine, which sailed between Oakland and Kaohsiung from August 25 to September 6. Along the approximately 10,000-kilometer route, Sas performed 104 optimal guidance operations and 224 automatic control interventions, managing engines and rudders without crew intervention and integrating data from radar, GPS, and cameras.
The system also analyzed weather conditions every three hours, adjusting course and speed to ensure on-time arrival and reduce fuel consumption. “Sas has evolved from simple navigation support for collision avoidance to a level where it independently maintains economic speed and adheres to arrival times,” explained Lee Dong-yeon, head of the Shipbuilding and Offshore Research Institute at SHI.
Launched in 2019, Sas is now at the center of new trials with Evergreen, with the aim of refining route optimization and further increasing energy efficiency. The technology is presented as a key lever to reconcile the needs for punctuality and emission reduction in maritime transport.
The test highlights how shipyards are moving from prototypes to commercial-scale testing. Hd Hyundai has also already conducted transoceanic demonstrations with its own autonomous system, a sign of increasingly intense competition between the two South Korean giants for leadership in AI solutions for maritime navigation.
