'IHO Infrastructure Center' sets up shop at Busan International Finance Center

[Financial News] The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) Infrastructure Center held its opening ceremony at Busan International Finance Center 2 (BIFC2) in Munhyeon-dong, Nam-gu, Busan, on the 10th and began full-scale operations.

Opening in Busan, the IHO Infrastructure Center is the first dedicated technical organization to be established outside the IHO headquarters in Monaco since the organization was founded.
The center will serve as a key hub supporting the digital transformation of global maritime information.
The center will oversee the development and management of S-100, the next-generation international standard for digital maritime information; operate infrastructure for standards development; and support type approval for electronic chart display and information systems, among other responsibilities. S-100 is an international standard for the integrated use of diverse maritime information, including electronic charts, tides and currents, and is expected to help create a safe navigational environment and advance future maritime technologies.
Busan City plans to support the stable operation of the Infrastructure Center and promote international cooperation with maritime-related organizations at home and abroad.
It also plans to identify collaborative projects for technological cooperation and the training of specialists, working with local businesses, research institutes, universities and others.
At the opening ceremony, the city also signed a tripartite agreement with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the IHO on “Hosting and Operating the IHO Infrastructure Center.”
They agreed to cooperate on administrative and financial support for the center’s operations and on securing specialist personnel, among other matters, and to expand exchanges with maritime-related organizations at home and abroad.
The decision to establish the IHO Infrastructure Center in South Korea was made in October 2024, and Busan’s selection as its host was finalized and approved in October last year. The relevant regulations subsequently received final approval at the IHO Assembly last April.
Busan Mayor Chun Jae-soo stressed, “We will actively support the IHO Infrastructure Center so that it can grow into a key hub for international maritime information standardization and technical cooperation,” adding, “By expanding international cooperation and linking up with the local maritime industry, we will strengthen Busan’s global competitiveness in maritime information and create new growth engines.”

[email protected] Byun Ok-hwan Reporter