DNV issues the first blockchain statement to Samsung Heavy Industries
In a first of its kind for a shipyard, DNV has awarded a Statement of Fact (SoF) to Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) for using blockchain technology on its own SAS (Samsung Autonomous Ship) and SVESSEL ® eLogbook data streams on a vessel in operation.
The project was achieved by connecting SHI’s data stream and eLogbook with the VeChainThor blockchain to demonstrate the technology’s potential for secure data stream applications on ships.
As the shipping and offshore industry becomes more digitized, shipyards, shipping companies, manufacturers and class societies worldwide are actively developing and verifying smart and autonomous ships amid growing needs to strengthen cyber security. This is increasingly important for real-time data transfers from ship to shore, remote monitoring and equipment maintenance.
The blockchain application for the SHI data stream concerns the Samsung Autonomous Ship’s navigation information, specifically the collision risk index and distance to closest approach point. The SVESSEL eLogbook which satisfies IMO MEPC.312(74) was also released via blockchain technology.
SHI’s Director of the Ship and Offshore Research Institute, Vice President Dr. Dong Yeon Lee, said: “The maritime industry is considering cyber security as another key to the digital revolution of ships. Blockchain technology is pioneering the cyber security of autonomous ships. We are grateful to DNV’s collaboration and look forward to revitalizing blockchain technology as a new business in the future.”
“We are delighted that SHI has become the first shipyard certified by DNV to use blockchain technology for the evolving automatic navigation system SAS and the digital asset management system of our SVESSEL eLogbook. We greatly appreciate DNV for their hard work in this collaborative research, ” said Dr. Hyun Joe Kim, vice president of SHI’s Ship and Offshore Performance Research Center at an award ceremony at Samsung Heavy Industries’ Daejeon R&D Center. “This is just the beginning, but we are eager to demonstrate and verify blockchain technology as it impacts cyber security on real ship.”
Vidar Dolonen, DNV’s regional manager, Korea and Japan, added: “Blockchain technology is an essential requirement for future ships and to respond to upcoming maritime regulations. This collaboration with industry leaders has become a meaningful milestone in the digitization of ships and their safety, and we are proud to be a part of it.”
Press release
