Shipbuilder signs deal with HMM for eight 13,000-TEU LNG dual-fuel vessels

Two ships to be built in Ulsan, six in Yeongam, with deliveries through 2029

A 13,000-TEU container ship built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. [Provided by HD Hyundai]
A 13,000-TEU container ship built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. [Provided by HD Hyundai]

HD Hyundai has secured an order worth about 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion) from HMM, South Korea's largest container shipping line, for a series of large eco-friendly container vessels.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate shipbuilding holding company of HD Hyundai, announced Tuesday it had signed a shipbuilding contract with HMM for eight 13,000-TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships — each TEU representing one 20-foot container unit. The total contract value stands at approximately 1.92 trillion won.

The vessels measure 337 meters in length, 51 meters in width and 27.9 meters in height, and will be fitted with dual-fuel propulsion engines capable of running on both LNG and conventional marine fuel. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan will build two of the ships, while HD Hyundai Samho in Yeongam will construct the remaining six, with deliveries to HMM scheduled to proceed sequentially through 2029.

The ships will also be equipped with independent LNG fuel tanks produced by HD Hyundai Ecobina, HD Hyundai's eco-friendly independent tank manufacturing facility. By supplying not only the vessels themselves but also key components from within the group, HD Hyundai is strengthening its value chain in the eco-friendly shipbuilding sector.

HD Hyundai said it plans to deepen its partnership with HMM on the back of this order and consolidate its position in the high-value vessel market by leveraging its experience and technology in building ships powered by eco-friendly fuels such as LNG and methanol. "We will expand orders for high-value eco-friendly vessels and maximize profitability, drawing on our accumulated design and construction expertise and the trust of our customers," an HD Hyundai official said.


keg@heraldcorp.com