30 October 2024 – ClassNK has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) for Autonomous Navigation Assistance System ‘SAS’ developed by Samsung Heavy Industries, Co., Ltd. Samsung Autonomous Navigation Assistance System (SAS) is partially Autonomous Navigation System (ANS) including the functions of situational awareness through sensor fusion and electronic navigational chart information, collision and grounding risk assessment, collision and grounding avoidance.
ClassNK is involved in various demonstration projects and continuously works to develop necessary safety standards, in order to support the development and implementation of automated/autonomous operation technologies from a safety perspective. Based on these experience, ClassNK released its ‘Guidelines for Automated/Autonomous Operation of ships’ which comprehensively summarizes the requirements for each stage of conceptual design, design development, installation, and maintenance during the operation of automated/autonomous operation technologies.
For the concept design of Samsung Autonomous Navigation Assistance System (SAS), ClassNK conducted its safety review based on the requirements of ‘Guidelines for Automated/Autonomous Operation of ships’. Having confirmed its compliance with the requirements, including clarification of tasks to be automated, and backup systems, ClassNK issued the AiP. ClassNK is also in the process of examining SAS for Technology Qualification (TQ)*1 based on ‘Guidelines for Technology Qualification’.
ClassNK will continue to improve the environment for the use of automated/autonomous operation technologies by providing standards for advanced initiatives and technological verification.
*1 Technology Qualification (TQ)
For technologies based on new concepts and designs that cannot be addressed by existing rules and standards, through the identification of risks and issues associated with the novelty of the technology and the review of the safety measures responding to them, ClassNK confirms that the concerned technology functions reliably within a defined scope, and issue a technology qualification. The qualification indicates that the new technology has been verified to be as acceptably safe as the technologies designed under existing rules and standards.
Approval in Principle (AiP):
At the initial stage of designing or before the specific target ship to be implemented is decided, the design is examined based on the existing regulations such as international conventions and ship classification rules, and an Approval in Principle (AiP) is issued as proof of conformity with requirements. It also prevents rework of regulatory aspects in the post-process, shortens the examination time at the time of class registration, and can be used as a technical basis for external appeal of the design status. For more information, visit our website.
