Coastal passenger ferry positions nationwide visible at a glance, with arrival times and speed data

KOMSA maritime traffic data integration to benefit about 12.6 million annual ferry passengers

A screen showing the ultra-precise ferry service built by linking KOMSA's maritime traffic data with Kakao Maps. [Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority]
A screen showing the ultra-precise ferry service built by linking KOMSA's maritime traffic data with Kakao Maps. [Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority]

Kakao Maps users can now track the second-by-second positions of coastal passenger ferries anywhere along Korea's shoreline. The ultra-precise location service previously available for buses and other land-based public transit has expanded to maritime routes.

The Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority announced Tuesday that it has launched an "ultra-precise ferry" service on Kakao Maps, enabling real-time tracking of all domestic coastal passenger ferries.

The ultra-precise service is a specialized Kakao Maps feature that displays the real-time positions of public transit vehicles on a map, updated by the second. The launch extends that capability from land transport to maritime transport for the first time.

Users can zoom into a ferry route on Kakao Maps to see the live position of vessels currently in service. Tapping a ferry icon switches the display to navigation mode, where detailed voyage information is available — including estimated time of arrival, current speed and destination.

The roughly 12.6 million passengers who use domestic coastal ferries each year can now check sailing information through the everyday map app they already use, rather than a separate maritime traffic service.

The service draws on maritime traffic data held by KOMSA. The authority signed an MOU with Kakao in July last year on linking real-time ferry information, then spent about a year on systems integration work.

KOMSA views the collaboration as an example of opening public data to private platforms. The ultra-precise ferry service was also selected as an outstanding case in the public-private cooperation category of the 2026 Kakao Public Innovation Awards.

KOMSA had earlier partnered with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in 2023 to launch the country's first passenger ferry traffic information service, known as PATIS, through the Maritime Traffic Information System. It has since expanded the channels through which ferry operation data is available, adding Naver Maps navigation and the authority's KakaoTalk channel "Haesuhobbot."

"We will continue to expand the opening of maritime traffic information and public-private cooperation so that the public can use sea routes more conveniently," KOMSA Chairman An Yeong-cheol said.


adastra@heraldcorp.com