Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori (center) and other key officials pose for a commemorative photo in front of the “Chimbote,” built with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, at the SIMA shipyard in Peru on the 18th (local time). Office of the President of Peru
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (329180.KS) launched a new landing support ship in Peru, marking the first time the company has co-built a warship overseas. Following the launch, HD Hyundai plans to build patrol and frigate vessels locally in succession and accelerate exports of next-generation submarines.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said on the 19th that it held a launch ceremony at Peru’s SIMA shipyard for the Chimbote, the first of a new class of landing support ships to be supplied to the Peruvian Navy. The ceremony was presided over by Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori and attended by the commander of the Peruvian Navy, South Korean Ambassador to Peru Choi Jong-wook, and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries President Joo Won-ho, among others.
The Chimbote is the first of two landing support ships among four vessels — including frigates, offshore patrol vessels and landing support ships — that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries won from the Peruvian Navy in April 2024 in an order worth $462.9 million (about 646.7 billion won). The second ship, the Talara, also completed all onshore construction earlier this month.
The two multipurpose landing support ships will carry out a range of missions, including troop and cargo transport, logistics support and disaster relief, and are named after major Peruvian port cities. The offshore patrol vessel and frigate are to be built after both landing support ships are launched, with delivery targeted within 2028 and 2029 respectively.
The project is seen as presenting a new export model for K-warships. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries provided design and technical support while the SIMA shipyard used local production facilities to take part in block production, assembly, outfitting, and testing and trials. This shifted the concept of warship exports from “domestic construction followed by delivery of a finished product” to “local joint production through technical cooperation.” HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said the deal also carries the significance of developing the warship business beyond simple shipbuilding into an engineering business.
Government support and public-private cooperation also played a key role in the project. The Ministry of National Defense and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration worked with the Peruvian government to support HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ warship exports. The South Korean Embassy in Peru and KOTRA also backed the project by drawing on communication channels with the Peruvian government and local networks.
“We are not simply building a single ship but building capabilities for the future,” Fujimori said, adding that the project is also contributing to job creation, human resource development and the expansion of supply chains related to the shipbuilding industry.
Joo also stressed that the launch of the Chimbote is “an achievement of Team Korea, accomplished with the public and private sectors as one,” and said the company will “diversify export markets by strengthening the competitiveness of K-warships.”
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is currently carrying out the basic design of the HDS-MGP, a 1,500-ton next-generation diesel-electric submarine for the Peruvian Navy. It is continuing to work with the Peruvian government to begin building the lead ship immediately after the design is completed.
The HDS-MGP is a model tailored for Latin American waters, jointly developed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and the SIMA shipyard based on the company’s 1,500-ton HDS-1500 submarine. It received design certification from Norway’s classification society DNV and can withstand the water pressure of the Peru and Chile trenches at depths of more than 3,000 meters. Powered by lithium-ion batteries, it can stay submerged for up to 50 days.
Once the submarine is delivered, it will mark HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ first submarine export. In July, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Executive Vice President Shin Hyung-sik expressed confidence, saying that “if we show a willingness to pursue various exchanges and cooperation with Peru’s new government, an order for the Peruvian Navy’s latest submarine program is certain to materialize.”