Samsung Heavy Industries announced on Friday that it participated in the opening ceremony of the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Center (KUSPC) in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, where it signed various business agreements and joint research contracts with American partners and universities.
These agreements aim to strengthen comprehensive cooperation with the U.S. shipbuilding industry, leveraging advanced shipbuilding technology and shipyard operational expertise.
During the event, Samsung Heavy Industries and Conrad Shipyard received Approval in Principle (AiP) certification from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for the basic design of a 12,000 cubic meter LNG bunkering vessel they are jointly developing.
This achievement builds on the collaborative relationship established between the two companies last December to jointly construct LNG bunkering vessels, followed by their joint design work in the U.S.
An LNG bunkering vessel is designed to directly refuel ships that use liquefied natural gas (LNG) as fuel while at sea.
Samsung Heavy Industries also inked a strategic business cooperation agreement with Saronic Technologies, a startup specializing in unmanned surface vehicle design and manufacturing.
This partnership will focus on researching autonomous navigation and artificial intelligence (AI) digital solutions for unmanned surface vehicles, as well as collaborating on production infrastructure development, including robotics-based process automation.
In addition, Samsung Heavy Industries signed an agreement with its U.S. partner, Vigor Marine Group, to establish a training center in the Pacific Northwest region focused on maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO).
The training center will feature state-of-the-art facilities essential for training welding and painting personnel, including Samsung Heavy Industries’ virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) welding and painting simulators.
As part of the opening ceremony, a Korea-U.S. International Joint Research and Development (R&D) Agreement Ceremony was held. During this event, Samsung Heavy Industries signed a research agreement with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and welding equipment manufacturer Miller to develop an AI-based stainless steel spool manufacturing system.
The company also entered into research agreements with the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas), San Diego State University (SDSU), and California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) to develop a virtual training system for shipbuilding workers.
Vice Chairman Choi Sung-an of Samsung Heavy Industries stated that they’re committed to spearheading a renaissance in the Korea-U.S. shipbuilding and marine industry, drawing on the technological prowess.