Chuncheon Nami Island passenger ship ‘Tamnara’ approved for autonomous operation safety evaluation

Nami Island in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do has begun building a smart tourism transportation system by verifying the safety of passenger ships that have adopted autonomous navigation technology.

Nami Island announced on the 8th that the passenger ship 'Tamnara', equipped with Samsung Heavy Industries' Autonomous Navigation System (SAS), was the first domestic passenger ship to receive approval for autonomous operation safety evaluation from the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority (KOMSA).

This approval follows the safety verification of the application of the autonomous navigation system to the Chado Line ‘Nami 51’ in December last year.

At the time, Nami Island was verified for the safety of autonomous operation of inland waterways, and this time, the scope of application of the technology was expanded to passenger ships transporting general passengers.

The autonomous navigation system developed by Samsung Heavy Industries is a technology that supports the safe operation of ships, and Nami Island is expected to improve the safety and efficiency of inland passenger transportation through this.

Nami Island is not connected by land, but more than 90% of annual visitors use ships.

Nami Island operates a front berthing system that allows wheelchair and stroller users to conveniently board the ship, and has also been selected as an ‘open tourist destination’ by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Nami Island plans to install Samsung Heavy Industries' autonomous navigation system on its new passenger ship 'Sequoia', which is being built this year.

Through this, the plan is to expand autonomous navigation technology step by step and prepare an operating model that can be applied to other inland water tourist destinations in Korea based on experience and data accumulated during actual operations.

Previously, on the 5th, a ceremony to commemorate the approval of the safety evaluation was held on board the Tamnara, with officials from Nami Island, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority in attendance.

A Nami Island official said, "This approval confirms that autonomous navigation technology can be applied to actual passenger ships," and added, "We will continue to provide more convenient and safer services to tourists by gradually introducing an autonomous navigation system with safety as our top priority."