South Korea, Denmark to Test ‘Maritime Cloud’ Safety and Communication System

South Korea and Denmark will test a maritime safety and communication system on the shores of South Korean city of Busan.

The Denmark’s Maritime Authority along with South Korea’s ministry of oceans and fisheries will conduct the test, Yonhap reported Saturday.

Seoul has been pursuing an "e-navigation" project since 2014 to match vessel management with ICT, or information and communications technology. It subsequently signed cooperation agreements with Denmark and Sweden to jointly develop an international information sharing system, known as the "maritime cloud," to enable continuous exchanges between ships and safety agencies through satellites, LTE and other means, the news agency said in its report.

Such communication so far has been mostly been through analog media such as facsimiles, texting and voice transmissions, creating communications limits depending on the ship's flag and the communication methods used.

The latest test will be for an LTE-maritime feature to see if a wireless data service is possible up to 100 kilometres from shore. There will also be a test for roaming technology, ministry officials said.

The two sides succeeded in using the maritime cloud to relay real-time navigation safety information to South Korean vessels in December 2016.