South Korea builds world's first 'smart ship'

SEOUL (YONHAP): South Korea has built the world's first "smart vessel" that can enhance operational efficiency and reduce management costs for shipping lines, the government said Thursday.

The ship built by Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. incorporates a new ship area network (SAN) system developed by the state-run Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said.

HHI delivers 5,000th HiMSEN Marine Engine

Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), the world largest shipbuilder and marine engine manufacturer, achieved an aggregate 5,000 unit of HiMSEN (Hi-Touch Medium Speed Engine) engine production in ten years after its first unit in 2001.

The HiMSEN engine is used for both the propulsion of ships and power generation for onshore power plants. The engine features light-weight design, high-output, and high-efficiency, and was awarded prizes at major exhibitions such as iF Product Design Award in 2009 and Red Dot Design Award in 2010. The annual production of the engines has increased rapidly from 4 units in 2001, 123 units in 2004, to more than 700 units from 2007.