News / 'Milestone' for Pan Ocean as first autonomous box ship enters service

Photo: Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

Pan Ocean is to put South Korea’s first autonomous containership into a service connecting the country with Thailand and Vietnam.

The Harim Group’s liner arm announced on Tuesday it had assigned the 1,800 teu POS Singapore to its China-Vietnam-Thailand (CVT) service

In 2022, POS Singapore was selected by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries for its autonomous shipping technology development project, commissioned at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and launched this month.

POS Singapore will replace POS Ho Chi Minh City on the CVT on 6 April when it is scheduled to leave Incheon port to call at Qingdao, Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, Laem Chabang, Shekou and back to Incheon.

Pan Ocean CEO Ahn Joong-ho said: “The operation of POS Singapore incorporates artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and big data, marking a new milestone for Pan Ocean as a next-generation ship.”

The CVT service is jointly operated by Pan Ocean, SM Line and Chinese regional operator Asean Sea Line, which replaced HMM after the flagship carrier quit the service in mid-2023 to start its own intra-Asia cross network service.

This is the first time that the public and private sectors will work together to test out an autonomous navigation system that integrates unmanned navigation, digital-based monitoring.

Since 2020, the ministry has been promoting the development of autonomous ships, and plans to pilot test full-fledged remotely controlled navigation on long-haul routes in September.

Meanwhile, POS Singapore’s sister vessel, POS Laem Chabang, has been assigned to Pan Ocean’s Vietnam-Thailand Express (VTX), operatesd with compatriot peers SM Line and Namsung Shipping, using three ships. The service calls at Gwangyang, Busan, Shanghai, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Ho Chi Minh City and Gwangyang.