SEOUL, November 19 (AJP) - South Korea’s HD Hyundai has become the world's first shipbuilder in the world to deliver 5,000 vessels.
The company commemorated the achievement with a ceremony at its flagship shipyard in Ulsan.
HD Hyundai delivered its first vessel — the Atlantic Baron, a 260,000-ton very large crude carrier — in 1974. In the five decades since, it has supplied ships to more than 700 customers across 68 countries.
The 5,000th vessel, the Diego Silang, is a 118.4-meter patrol ship built for the Philippine Navy. The vessel, 14.9 meters wide, was completed in March and handed over in October.
HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun attended the ceremony alongside lawmakers Kim Tae-sun and Yoon Jong-oh, as well as senior figures from the shipbuilding sector.
Of the 5,000 vessels delivered to date, 2,631 were constructed at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, 1,570 at HD Hyundai Mipo Dockyard and 799 at HD Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries. The company noted that if all the ships it has built were placed end to end, their combined length would stretch farther than the distance between Seoul and Tokyo.
“Delivering 5,000 ships is a testament to South Korea’s shipbuilding prowess and a transformative moment for the global maritime industry,” Chung said. “We aim to build the next 5,000 ships over the coming decades.”
* This article, published by Economic Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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