Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Secures Orders for 9 Vessels Including LNG Ro-Ro Ships Worth 700 Billion KRW

The LNG-powered roll-on/roll-off ship, built by Hyundai Mipo Dockyard for the first time in Korea and delivered to the shipowner last October

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghoon Jung] Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering has secured orders for nine vessels worth over 700 billion KRW.

On the 3rd, Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering announced that it signed construction contracts for two 24,000-ton LNG-powered ro-ro ships, one 12,500㎥ LNG bunkering vessel, and six 2,800 TEU (a unit representing the standard container size of 609.6 cm) feeder container ships with three European shipping companies and one Oceania-based shipping company.

A ro-ro ship refers to a vessel that can load and unload cargo with its own propulsion, such as passenger cars and trucks, as well as trailers carrying containers, via ramps. An LNG bunkering vessel is a specialized ship that supplies fuel to LNG-powered ships at sea.

These vessels will be built at Hyundai Mipo Dockyard in Ulsan and are scheduled to be delivered sequentially to the shipowners starting from the second half of 2023. The LNG-powered ro-ro ships ordered this time measure 234 meters in length, 35 meters in width, and 33.3 meters in height, and are twin-shaft vessels equipped with two LNG dual-fuel propulsion engines. Twin-shaft vessels distribute thrust to two propellers, offering better fuel efficiency compared to single-shaft vessels. Additionally, these ships feature two 680-kilowatt-hour (kWh) batteries that can be used during port entry and exit to reduce harmful gas emissions in coastal areas.

The LNG bunkering vessel measures 133 meters in length, 22.3 meters in width, and 12.2 meters in height, and is equipped with three LNG dual-fuel generators and four electrically driven thrusters. Notably, it is fitted with azimuth thrusters that can generate propulsion in all directions?forward, backward, left, and right?allowing safe maneuvering when supplying fuel to LNG-powered ships or approaching narrow ports. Thrusters are auxiliary thrust devices installed on the sides of ships to improve maneuverability during berthing or unberthing.

A Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering official stated, "Demand for eco-friendly and high-efficiency vessels is steadily increasing," adding, "We will do our best to secure differentiated technological competitiveness based on our diverse construction experience with LNG-related vessels such as LNG-powered ships and LNG bunkering vessels."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.