Hyundai Movex to Develop Autonomous Transport System for Shipyard Blocks Under Korea-US R&D Project

Hyundai Movex will lead a Korea-US research and development project to develop intelligent autonomous transport technology for moving large shipbuilding blocks, with plans to demonstrate the system at a shipyard in the United States.

The company was selected as the lead research organisation for a 2026 shipbuilding and marine industry technology development project supported by South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology.

The project will focus on developing and demonstrating an intelligent autonomous transporter for ultra-large shipbuilding blocks.

Autonomous Transport Targets Shipyard Logistics

Large shipbuilding blocks are major structural sections that are manufactured separately before being transported and assembled into a complete vessel.

The project aims to develop autonomous technology capable of moving these large structures safely and efficiently within shipyard environments.

Once developed, the technology will be demonstrated at a shipyard in the United States, extending the project beyond laboratory development into a real shipbuilding environment.

The programme will run for 42 months and receive approximately KRW19 billion in government funding.

Project Forms Part of Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation

The autonomous transporter programme forms part of wider shipbuilding cooperation between South Korea and the United States.

On 23 July, Hyundai Movex signed a memorandum of agreement with the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) during the opening ceremony of the Korea-US Shipbuilding Cooperation Center in Washington, DC.

The agreement establishes a framework for technical cooperation between the two organisations as development of the autonomous transport system progresses.

SwRI is a US-based nonprofit research and development organisation established in 1947.

Its research activities include advanced technology development for government organisations such as NASA, the US Department of Defense and the Department of Energy, as well as global companies across automotive, aerospace and semiconductor industries.

AI and Robotics Applied to Shipyard Automation

Hyundai Movex plans to use the project to advance its existing capabilities in AI, robotics and autonomous material transport.

Autonomous transport technology could support shipyards in handling large structural blocks while reducing the amount of manual coordination required during movement between production and assembly areas.

Hyundai Movex said participation in the Korea-US shipbuilding cooperation project provides an opportunity to further develop its AI- and robotics-based autonomous transport technologies and expand into international markets.

Shipbuilding Automation Moves Into Real-World Testing

The planned US demonstration will provide an opportunity to test the technology under actual shipyard operating conditions.

By combining autonomous navigation with heavy-load transport systems, the project is targeting one of the more complex material-handling processes within shipbuilding.

The initiative also reflects growing cooperation between South Korean industrial technology companies and US research organisations as both countries strengthen collaboration across shipbuilding technology and manufacturing.