SUSE, a global open-source IT solutions company, is supporting the Korea Coast Guard's AI-based maritime infrastructure development and driving innovation in digital ship systems.

The Korea Coast Guard achieved a 75% reduction in deployment time and a 30% reduction in operating costs by leveraging SUSE Rancher Prime and a K3s cluster.

Despite budget constraints and a shortage of specialized IT personnel, the Korea Coast Guard modernized its maritime operations system with SUSE solutions.

By deploying SUSE Rancher Prime at headquarters and lightweight K3s clusters on ships, we have established a scalable foundation for future technologies such as AI-based analytics, predictive maintenance, and real-time maritime surveillance.

In particular, SUSE Multi-Linux Support eliminates security vulnerabilities and improves operational efficiency by enabling integrated management of various Linux operating systems, including CentOS and Red Hat. This has contributed to dramatically reducing the management complexity and costs arising from the Coast Guard's mixed Linux environment.

The Korea Coast Guard's Information and Communications Division, recognizing the limitations of existing analog ship systems and distributed data management systems, began a pilot project to develop a digital ship system in the second half of 2024.

The project aimed to replace the existing infrastructure with a Kubernetes-based platform that supports real-time data integration, digital twin technology, and advanced analytics.

SUSE Rancher Prime's intuitive interface and low operational complexity allow even non-specialized personnel to effectively manage container environments, and it has been evaluated as a solution suitable for the Coast Guard's rotational work system.

Additionally, it was compatible with operating systems provided by various trap manufacturers, allowing for flexible deployment.

The Korea Coast Guard established an edge computing environment for its vessels using SUSE solutions, enabling autonomous data processing and operation even in maritime environments with unstable network connections.

This has enabled the realization of a digital twin strategy and enhanced real-time situational awareness and predictive maintenance capabilities.

“SUSE Rancher Prime has played a pivotal role in accelerating the Coast Guard’s digital transformation and strengthening its AI-based maritime surveillance and analysis capabilities thanks to its low technical complexity and flexible architecture,” said Kim Young-soo, an officer in the Information and Communications Division of the Korea Coast Guard.