South Korea Wants a Permanent Test Area for Self-Driving Ships

South Gyeongsang province in South Korea has asked the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to create a permanent test area for autonomous ships, in the waters linking Hansan, Gajo and Chilcheon islands off Geoje. Approval is expected by the end of 2026.

Why now. Samsung Heavy Industries already tests there under a temporary permission granted in 2024. That permission ends at the end of December. Its test boat is small: 24 tonnes, 12 metres, with automated engine and steering control, route following, collision avoidance and an AI system that combines cameras and other sensors to understand what is around it. It cost about KRW2bn, roughly $1.4m, to develop. Separately, Korea is spending KRW30bn on an AI data platform for future autonomous ships.

Who was asked. The coastguard, fishermen's representatives and local authorities were consulted, and officials say the zone will not get in the way of fishing, leisure or commercial traffic.

What is missing. No size for the area, no budget, no rules for speed or weather, and no test results from the years Samsung has already sailed there.

Why it matters. Temporary permits are how experiments start. Permanent test areas are how an industry plans. A yard can only promise an autonomy product to owners if it knows where and how it can keep testing. Korea has also set up a national team to shape the international rules for autonomous ships, so the test area and the rulebook are moving together.

What to watch, and ask. A test area produces data. Last week an outside lab tested a navigation AI on 55 scenarios and nobody published the scores. If Korea opens a permanent zone, owners and class should ask for the results from it: how many hours, how many encounters with other boats, and how often a person had to take over. [Splash247 · AiatSea, 18 October]

This story is part of the Maritime AI Digest of 25 October 2026.