Introduction of Korea's Fishing Boats Made of Eco-Friendly Material (HDPE)

 

Launching ceremony to be held in Busan on March 21, opening the era of eco-friendly fishing boats to replace existing FRP fishing boats

 

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) disclosed that the prototype fishing boat KAIVE 3 using eco-friendly HDPE* will be launched in Busan on Friday, March 21.

 

 * HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene): A type of thermoplastic.

 

 Currently, about 97% of domestic fishing boats are built with fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP), which is inexpensive and easy to form. However, there were concerns that the shipbuilding process generates large amounts of dust and odors and that boats that have reached the end of their life span must be incinerated or scrapped, polluting the environment.

 

 In response, MOF has established related systems such as enacting the Provisional Standards for Polyethylene Ships in August 2024 to build environment-friendly fishing boats made of HDPE and implemented R&D projects to develop technologies for building HDPE ships such as welding technology.

 

 The HDPE material used in the project is classified as eco-friendly because it neither produces dust or odors during construction nor corrodes, it prevents microplastic generation, and it is recyclable Since around 2010, major countries like Norway have been building boats using HDPE. As Korea's first HDPE fishing boat, the KAIVE 3 is a result of the Ministry's R&D projects on developing and validating the AI-based platform for fishing boat safety design data.

 

 The KAIVE 3 recorded maximum speed of 32 knots in performance tests, outperforming FRP boats (25 knots) and aluminum boats (30.7 knots) of the same size; thus confirming its potential as a replacement for FRP vessels.

 

 An analysis conducted following the KAIVE 3's launch revealed that constructing boats with HDPE is approximately 30% cheaper than using aluminum, another eco-friendly material. The analysis suggests that using HDPE materials will lead to efficient construction of eco-friendly fishing vessels.

 

 “These research results mark the starting point for transforming the fishing boat building industry into an eco-friendly industry. We will spare no effort in supporting the active application of new technologies and materials in the fishing vessel sector,” Minister Kang Do-hyung said.