Aju Business Daily

SEOUL -- Samsung Heavy Industries, a major shipbuilder in South Korea, achieved another technical breakthrough with its new ship design that can effectively prevent the spread of infectious diseases like COVID-19 at sea. The design was certified by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), a maritime classification society.

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) said that its new design has won "Approval in Principle," marking the first ABS technical certification of vessel anti-epidemic technology. SHI's new design places separate medical support and laundry facilities along with an isolation place that can maintain negative pressure and a ventilation system to prevent the spread of viruses.

The shipbuilder said that optimal layout design would increase space utilization by having all anti-epidemic facilities in the cabin of the same area as an existing vessel. "For shippers, the outbreak of contagious disease at sea is a very important issue that is directly related to the crew's safety as well as flight schedules," Yoon Jong-hyun, in charge of SHI's ship design, said in a statement on December 10. "We hope SHI's anti-epidemic design technology will be the best solution."