SEOUL, November 24 (AJP) - HD Hyundai has secured its biggest container ship order since the 2007 shipbuilding boom, landing a deal worth 2.13 trillion won ($1.44 billion) to build eight ultra-large container vessels for South Korean carrier HMM.
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the group’s shipbuilding arm, said Monday it signed a contract to construct eight 13,400 TEU container ships equipped with LNG dual-fuel engines.
The ships — each 337 meters long, 51 meters wide and 27.9 meters high — will be delivered by the first half of 2029. Two will be built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and six by Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries.
The vessels will feature enlarged fuel tanks and dual-fuel propulsion systems designed to boost efficiency and reduce emissions. HD Hyundai said the order marks its largest for container carriers in nearly two decades, underscoring a rebound in demand as global shipping companies invest in greener, more fuel-efficient fleets.
The win also caps a strong year for the shipbuilder, which has booked orders for 72 container ships totaling 720,000 TEUs, the highest among South Korean shipyards. Despite carrying higher price tags than rivals, HD Hyundai’s ships are widely regarded as cost-effective over their full operating life, the company said.
Since 2023, the company has outfitted its vessels with HiNAS Control, an autonomous navigation and voyage-optimization system developed by Avikus. HD Hyundai says the system has improved fuel efficiency by 15 percent and cut carbon emissions by a similar margin in real-world operations.
“We are strengthening our position in the global market with our proprietary technology and customer confidence,” the company said in a press release. “We will continue to lead the decarbonization of shipbuilding and shipping with eco-friendly, high-efficiency vessels.”
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.
