The South Korean government, through the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, has expressed its intentions to invest the equivalent of US$25.5 million in newbuild fishing vessels with energy-efficient, environment-friendly propulsion.
The propulsion system on each new vessel will be a hybrid arrangement that will also include batteries, which ministry officials claim can help ensure greenhouse gas emissions of as much as 25 per cent compared to conventionally-powered vessels.
The ministry expects the initial examples of the new hybrid-powered fishing vessels to be operational by 2025.