Heung-A Shipping is launching an AI-driven automation project to streamline its vessel safety and quality document systems in collaboration with MarinaChain, a digital solution provider for the maritime and shipbuilding industries.

MarinaChain (CEO Ha Seong-yeop) announced on the 8th that it signed a contract with Heung-A Shipping for an AI-powered automation project covering vessel safety and quality documentation. Under the agreement, MarinaChain will develop a system that leverages AI to deconstruct and reorganize vast internal regulations, procedures, guidelines, and agreements, unifying the management framework to automatically update documents in real time in response to evolving international regulations.

Beyond simple document digitization, the project has already delivered tangible results by automatically analyzing and consolidating approximately 80% of Heung-A Shipping’s 100 existing safety and quality documents, streamlining them down to roughly 20%. During this process, documents were also realigned based on 13 criteria from TMSA (Tanker Management and Self Assessment), ISO, and SIRE 2.0 standards.

Notably, the system features AI capabilities to automatically detect redundancies, omissions, and revisions in guidelines and agreements while recommending necessary changes. It also allows users to upload PDFs via a drag-and-drop interface, instantly generating modifications and proposals tailored to the latest standards.

Looking ahead, a chatbot feature will be integrated to automatically direct crew members to relevant documents and open the exact pages when asked queries such as "Tell me the procedure for OO." By incorporating vessel-specific histories and tracking revision logs, the system provides precise, context-aware information. This unifies document frameworks across shore and sea operations and maintains them in an up-to-date state, establishing a more structured and efficient management environment.

Ha Seong-yeop, CEO of MarinaChain, stated, "This collaboration represents a rare case of a national flag carrier adopting an AI-driven regulatory document system, fundamentally resolving the issue of repetitive manual updates triggered by changes in international standards such as IMO and ISO. This will directly translate into enhanced vessel safety management and stronger ESG compliance capabilities."

An official from Heung-A Shipping remarked, "This project holds value far beyond simple cost reductions. The system has been simplified to a level where shipboard personnel can directly utilize it, and we expect practical benefits in audit responses as well as operational safety."

Moving forward, MarinaChain plans to develop scalable models applicable across the entire maritime value chain—including freight forwarders, shipyards, and insurers, alongside major domestic and international shipping lines. The company intends to expand its service scope to feature AI for charter party analysis and drafting, as well as automated document generation for sales support, including proposals, invoices, and certificates.

The system can also integrate with ESG compliance modules such as EU ETS, FuelEU Maritime, and CSRD, positioning itself as a core digital transformation infrastructure for the shipping industry.

Source : http://www.maritimepress.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=325682