Marineworks Gains President Lee’s Attention at K-Shipbuilding Forum
Chosen to Lead the TUG Project and Recognized as a New Busan Shipbuilding Model

MAVIS, the test vessel built under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy's R&D project to 

develop a remotely controlled maritime firefighting system utilizing autonomous navigation technologies.

Courtesy of Marineworks.

Participants attend the inaugural kick-off meeting for the Eco-Friendly Tugboat Research 

and Development Project on June 15.

Courtesy of Marineworks.

A maritime technology company based in Busan has emerged as a key player in shaping the future of Korea’s shipbuilding industry. Marineworks, recently recognized by President Lee Jae-myung, has been selected to lead a government-backed next-generation eco-friendly tugboat development project. Industry observers view the company as a representative example of a new Busan-style model for the future of shipbuilding.

According to industry sources on June 23, Marineworks, headquartered in Choryang-dong, Dong-gu, Busan, was selected as the lead organization for the “Development of an Eco-Friendly Tugboat (TUG) with Remote Control and Autonomous Navigation Capabilities” project under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s Core Technology Development Program for the Shipbuilding and Marine Industry. The consortium held its inaugural kick-off meeting on June 15. A total of KRW 13.2 billion (approximately USD 9.6 million) will be invested in the project through 2029.

Marineworks is a maritime ICT company specializing in Electronic Chart Display and Information Systems (ECDIS), Integrated Bridge Systems (IBS), autonomous navigation technologies, and vessel monitoring platforms. Founded in 2015 as a small technology startup with around ten employees, the company has since grown to a workforce of more than 130. Last month, a video featuring President Lee Jae-myung responding positively to Marineworks’ business story during the K-Shipbuilding Future Vision Forum attracted considerable public attention.

The tugboat to be developed under the project is an essential vessel used to assist large ships entering and leaving ports and to move offshore structures. In Korea, however, some operators have relied on aging second-hand tugboats imported from overseas, including Japan. As environmental regulations become increasingly stringent, the need for a new generation of eco-friendly tugboats has continued to grow.

The project consortium includes Marineworks, Hanwha Ocean, HJ Shipbuilding & Construction, DSEC, the Korean Register (KR), Changwon National University, Mokpo National Maritime University, and Daesung Shipping. Participating organizations will jointly conduct vessel design, performance research, digital system development, and operational demonstrations. The goal is to develop an eco-friendly hybrid tugboat capable of reducing energy consumption by more than 30 percent while incorporating remote-control and autonomous navigation technologies.

This is not Marineworks’ first venture into shipbuilding. In 2021, the company successfully completed the construction of HAN-V, Hanwha Ocean’s autonomous navigation test vessel. It also participated in the Korea Autonomous Surface Ship (KASS) project jointly promoted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, gaining valuable experience in developing digital platforms for autonomous vessels. Subsequently, Marineworks strengthened its capabilities in designing and controlling special-purpose vessels through a government-funded project focused on developing a remotely controlled maritime firefighting system utilizing autonomous navigation technologies.

Marineworks often describes itself as a “shipyard without smokestacks.” While it does not operate large-scale welding facilities, the company develops the “brains” of vessels through software, data, and artificial intelligence technologies. If a ship is the body, Marineworks builds the intelligence that makes navigational decisions and processes operational data.

Traditionally, competitiveness in the shipbuilding industry was defined by hardware such as hulls and engines. Today, industry experts argue that future competitiveness will begin with software and data and ultimately extend to the entire vessel ecosystem.

Kim Yong-dae, CEO of Marineworks, said, “Thanks to the strong support of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, we have been able to expand from a software-focused company into one capable of developing hardware that encompasses both the brain and the heart of a vessel. By successfully completing this eco-friendly autonomous tugboat project, we aim to create a globally recognized reference case in Busan that leads IMO environmental regulations and the growing smart-port trend.”

Source: Busan Ilbo (Reporter Yang Bo-won)
Original Article: 대통령도 주목한 부산 기업, 정부 ‘친환경 예인선’ 사업 주관 - 부산일보