It may lack the ambition and grandeur of many historic vessel names, but the K-GTB is going to help South Korea push its green technology and digital prowess to the next level.
K-GTB — Korea-Green Ship Testbed — has been built for the Korea Research Institute of Ships & Ocean Engineering (KRISO).
It is a dedicated vessel that throughout its life will have new technologies, new systems and new ideas installed and put through sea trials.
Some of the first trials during 2025 will be in the use of new fuels and electric-hybrid propulsion. But it is also going to be used to evolve autonomous vessel systems.
One trial will include a prototype decision support system for incident responses when deploying unmanned or autonomous ships.
The vessel has been funded by the Korean Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, which announced the intention to build the vessel in 2022.
Safeguarding know-how
From early 2025 the vessel will operate from the South Korean port of Mokpo and will “facilitate domestic verification of eco-friendly fuel technology, safeguarding Korean innovations from overseas leakage and generating import-substitution effects by eliminating overseas testing,” KRISO said.
Despite the focus on retaining national competence and technology know-how, the institute will still be looking to collaborate internationally.
Hee-Jin Kang, KRISO’s head of eco-friendly ocean development research division, said: “K-GTB was designed to address the immediate needs of Korea’s shipping and shipbuilding industries.
“In response to industry demand, we plan to actively pursue international cooperation and technology standardisation to expand into the global market.”
K-GTB is 82.6 metres in length, weighs 2,600 gt but is packed with technology as it is used to certify fuels, batteries and fuel cells.
It has been built with a load-sharing arrangement to ensure that the vessel maintains operational performance while new systems and technologies are being tested.
