South Korea Signs 5-Year Agreement with ABS to Advance International Standards for Hydrogen-Fueled Ships and Smart Shipyards

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 13, the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Korea Marine Equipment Research Institute (KOMERI), the Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Plant Association (KOSHIPA), and the Research Institute of Medium & Small Shipbuilding (RIMS), establishing a five-year cooperation framework to jointly advance the development of international standards for next-generation smart ships, smart shipyards, and advanced manufacturing technologies. The cooperation focuses on digital shipbuilding, smart manufacturing, hydrogen-fueled ships, and future maritime systems, with plans to promote the relevant outcomes into the ISO international standards system.

Following the implementation of the agreement, ABS and the three Korean organizations will jointly develop technical benchmarks applicable to ships and shipyards worldwide. The first batch of standard research already launched focuses on two directions: first, digital production and traceability requirements for additively manufactured marine components; second, design standards for ventilation masts on hydrogen-fueled ships. The former directly involves the digital management of 3D-printed ship components from manufacturing and inspection to tracking, while the latter targets key emission and ventilation structures in the safety systems of hydrogen-fueled ships.

This cooperation builds on previous agreements between ABS and the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS). The two sides had previously cooperated on international standardization of smart ship and smart shipyard technologies, and this round further brings KOMERI, KOSHIPA, and RIMS into a long-term implementation framework, expanding the scope of standards research from individual technologies to multiple areas including ship design, digital manufacturing, smart production, and hydrogen-powered ships.

South Korea is positioning next-generation high-value-added ships and smart shipyards as important directions for upgrading its shipbuilding industry. This five-year framework covers not only ships themselves but also the shipbuilding production system, including digital manufacturing, smart factories, and advanced manufacturing processes. KOMERI stated that international standards are directly related to the technical thresholds for equipment entering overseas markets, so the cooperation will focus on combining South Korea's standardization capabilities with ABS's classification certification experience to reduce certification barriers for Korean ship equipment companies entering international markets.

ABS has already advanced digitalization and next-generation ship projects with multiple Korean shipbuilding companies this year. In May, ABS signed an agreement with HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering to establish a cooperation framework around digital threads, digital engineering, autonomous ship systems, and cybersecurity tools; in July, ABS also participated in the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation Center project to advance shipbuilding technology, talent development, and regulatory collaboration. This newly added five-year standardization agreement further extends the cooperation to the level of international technical standards development.