South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries Co. said Monday it has successfully navigated its 300-ton remote autonomous ship.

The 38-meter-long ship was operated in seas off Geoje Island, 398 kilometers south of Seoul, via a remote control system at a research center located in Daejeon, 250 kilometers away from the seas, Samsung Heavy said.

The ship returned safely to a point of departure without the help of crew after reaching its destination, which was 10 kilometers away, the shipbuilding company said.

Samsung Autonomous Ship, its remote autonomous navigation system, helped the ship navigate autonomously under remote control, the company said.

Samsung Heavy said it plans to commercialize its independently developed autonomous navigation system by 2022. (Yonhap)