사진 확대 (Hanwha Ocean)
Hanwha Ocean Co. has secured orders worth more than 2 trillion won ($1.5 billion) in just two days, including a 1.5 trillion-won contract to build container ships for a major global shipping company.
Hanwha Ocean said Thursday it had signed a 1.55 trillion won contract with Taiwan-based Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. to build six 13,650-twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel container ships.
One TEU is equivalent to a 20-foot container.
The vessels will be built at Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, and delivered sequentially by the second half of 2029.
On Wednesday, Hanwha Ocean also won an order worth 477.8 billion won from an Oceania-based shipowner for three very large gas carriers (VLGCs). The combined value of the two orders came to 2.03 trillion won.
The Yang Ming Marine Transport contract comes a year after the Taiwanese shipping company placed its first newbuild order with Hanwha Ocean, ordering seven 15,880-TEU LNG dual-fuel container ships in September last year. The first batch has yet to be delivered, meaning Yang Ming has placed a second order even before receiving its first vessels.
Industry observers are focusing on the significance of the latest deal as a sign of repeat orders, rather than simply its size.
Hanwha Ocean said the contract demonstrates Yang Ming’s confidence in its ship design and production capabilities as well as its project management expertise.
Yang Ming has traditionally placed most of its newbuild orders with Japan’s Imabari Shipbuilding Co. and China’s CSBC.
The vessels will feature Hanwha Ocean’s independently developed Type B LNG fuel tanks made from high-manganese steel. Because LNG must be stored at about minus 163 degrees Celsius, fuel tanks require materials that can withstand extreme cold. Nickel-alloy steel and aluminum have traditionally been used, but high-manganese steel can maintain toughness at cryogenic temperatures while reducing costs.
Hanwha Ocean also plans to apply linear optimization technology to improve fuel efficiency, operational performance, and cargo-handling efficiency.
The global shipping industry is undergoing fleet renewal as operators replace aging vessels and shift toward lower-emission fuels. Geopolitical disruptions, including the war in the Middle East, have also increased demand for new ships.
Hanwha Ocean has won orders for 38 vessels worth about $7.07 billion so far this year, including 17 very large crude carriers, six LNG carriers, six container ships, three very large ammonia carriers, three VLGCs, and one wind turbine installation vessel.
By Park Seung-joo and Han Yubin
[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]