The volume and pace of regulatory change from the International Maritime
Organization is increasing the complexity of compliance for shipowners
and maritime stakeholders, as amendments to major frameworks such as
SOLAS and MARPOL continue to evolve.
In response, Korean Register (KR) has launched Version 24 of
‘KR-CON’, its comprehensive digital database of international
maritime conventions, with enhanced search functionality designed to
help users more efficiently navigate and verify applicable regulatory
requirements. The upgrade integrates KR’s AI-powered features into the
web-based service and restructured the classification system of
convention documents, significantly enhancing search performance. As a
result, users can retrieve relevant regulatory information more quickly
and with greater accuracy.
The ‘Convention Today’ menu—used to identify applicable
conventions based on specific entry-into-force dates—now features more
detailed search conditions, improving both efficiency and clarity.
Visibility has been enhanced through expanded display of update dates
and improved visibility of recently amended documents.
KR-CON Version 24 includes amendments adopted at key IMO meetings in
2025, including the 34th IMO Assembly, the 110th session of the Maritime
Safety Committee (MSC), and the 83rd session of the Marine Environment
Protection Committee (MEPC). These include updates to major
international conventions such as the SOLAS Convention and the MARPOL
Convention. Newly adopted instruments will continue to be added as they
are adopted.
KIM Hoijun, General Manager of Convention & Legislation Service at KR,
stated:
“Through this upgrade, we have significantly improved accessibility to
convention information and search efficiency. Looking ahead, we plan to
adopt Agentic RAG (Agentic Retrieval-Augmented Generation), a
next-generation AI-based search technology that retrieves external data,
generates responses, and incorporates autonomous decision-making to
further advance KR-CON into an intelligent service where AI can
autonomously explore and verify information.”
KR-CON is available in multiple formats, including a web platform,
mobile application, USB, and web-installed version, providing access to
IMO conventions, codes, resolutions, and circulars.
Further details on KR-CON Version 24 are available on the KR-CON webpage
(krcon.krs.co.kr [1]) and the KR website (www.krs.co.kr [2]).
KR (Korean Register) was established in 1960 with the purpose of
promoting safety of life, property and the protection of the marine
environment. KR currently classes an international fleet of 3,222
vessels totalling 91 million GT. It is headquartered in Busan, South
Korea with a network of 80 offices around the world. KR is authorized to
perform statutory and certification services in 80 countries around the
world.
