Avikus Wins DNV Type Approval for Autonomous Navigation System
Avikus, HD Hyundai's autonomous navigation subsidiary, has secured DNV type approval for its HiNAS 2.0 autonomous navigation system — a landmark certification that clears a significant regulatory pathway for commercial autonomous shipping. The type approval confirms that the system meets DNV's class rules for autonomous and remotely operated ships, covering collision avoidance, route optimization, situational awareness, and system redundancy. For the maritime industry, this certification brings autonomous commercial operations meaningfully closer to reality.
What Does DNV Type Approval Mean for Autonomous Navigation?
Type approval from a major classification society represents independent verification that a technology meets established safety and performance standards. DNV's autonomous ship class notation — known as the Autonomous and Remotely Operated Ship (AROS) framework — sets requirements across six functional areas: navigation, machinery, communication, remote control, cyber security, and human-machine interface.
Avikus's HiNAS 2.0 system received approval across the navigation, collision avoidance, and situational awareness functions. The system uses a combination of radar processing, camera-based object detection with AI classification, AIS data fusion, and lidar sensing to build a comprehensive maritime domain awareness picture. The collision avoidance algorithm complies with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGs) and has been validated through over 10,000 hours of sea trials across multiple vessel types.
How Does the Avikus System Work in Practice?
HiNAS 2.0 operates in three modes: advisory, automatic, and autonomous. In advisory mode, the system provides recommendations to a human officer on the bridge. In automatic mode, the system executes approved navigation plans with human oversight. In autonomous mode, the system independently handles navigation decisions including collision avoidance, with a human operator monitoring remotely and able to intervene.
The system processes sensor inputs at rates exceeding 10 frames per second, detecting and classifying objects including other vessels, navigation aids, floating debris, and small craft at ranges up to 5 nautical miles in standard visibility conditions. In fog or heavy rain, sensor fusion algorithms combine radar and thermal camera data to maintain detection capability when optical cameras are degraded.
What Vessels Are Using the Avikus System?
HD Hyundai has deployed HiNAS systems across a range of vessel types including container ships, LNG carriers, and bulk carriers. The system completed a trans-Pacific autonomous voyage in 2022 and has since accumulated over 50,000 nautical miles of autonomous operation in commercial service. The DNV type approval applies to the latest version, which incorporates improvements based on this operational experience.
Several third-party shipowners have expressed interest in licensing the technology for retrofit installation on existing vessels, a market segment that could significantly accelerate adoption. Avikus estimates that autonomous navigation can reduce fuel consumption by 5 to 10% through optimized route planning and speed management, providing an economic incentive beyond crew cost considerations.
How Does This Compare to Competitors?
The autonomous navigation field is increasingly competitive. Orca AI, Wärtsilä Voyage, and Kongsberg Maritime all offer autonomous or semi-autonomous navigation solutions at various stages of development and certification. Avikus's DNV type approval places it among the first to achieve major class society certification, alongside Kongsberg's system, which holds approval from the Norwegian Maritime Authority.
The competition benefits the industry by driving rapid improvement in sensor technology, AI algorithms, and safety validation methodologies. Interoperability between different autonomous systems — particularly in congested waters where multiple autonomous vessels may interact — remains an open challenge that the IMO's Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships regulatory framework aims to address.
What Regulatory Hurdles Remain?
IMO's MASS Code, expected to be adopted in 2028 with entry into force by 2030, will establish the international regulatory framework for autonomous ships. Until then, autonomous operations require flag state authorization on a case-by-case basis. Type approval from DNV provides a strong technical foundation for these applications but does not automatically grant operational permission.
Conclusion
Avikus's DNV type approval for autonomous navigation marks a milestone in the commercialization of autonomous shipping. The certification validates years of development and sea trials, and positions HD Hyundai's technology for broader adoption as the regulatory framework catches up with the technology's demonstrated capabilities.