DNV and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) have signed an MOU to explore assurance frameworks for Software Defined Vessel technologies. The initiative could give shipowners and managers a clearer route to adopting software-led vessel systems while managing cybersecurity, reliability and software changes throughout a ship’s life.
Shipowners and managers are being given a new consideration as vessel systems become more software-driven. DNV and HD KSOE are working on assurance methods intended to help operators introduce Software Defined Vessel (SDV) technologies while maintaining safety and reliability across the asset lifecycle.
The agreement, signed during Gastech in Bangkok on 14 September, brings together HD KSOE’s work on SDV technology and digital ship systems with DNV’s expertise in independent assurance, verification and certification. The collaboration is expected to run through the end of 2030.
HD KSOE plans to develop SDV technology around a software-centric platform designed to support vessel operations, lifecycle management and future digital capabilities. DNV will examine technical evidence requirements and verification frameworks that can be applied as these systems are implemented and operated.
One of the more practical aspects of the agreement is its focus on vessels already in service. The parties will examine how assurance can cover software updates and changes on delivered vessels, alongside pilot projects, demonstrations and engagement with industry stakeholders.
Kim Hyung-Kwan, President and CEO of HD KSOE, said: “The competitiveness of future vessels will be defined by software capabilities seamlessly integrated with advanced hardware technologies.”
The approach also recognises that software can alter how vessel functions are managed after delivery. Vidar Dolonen, Regional Manager and representative director of DNV Korea, said assurance methods will need to address SDV technologies “throughout the vessel lifecycle”.
That lifecycle perspective matters. A software-defined vessel introduces a continuing need to assess changes to systems after delivery, making verification part of ongoing vessel management rather than a task confined to construction.
