HD Hyundai Heavy Industries-Built Philippine Corvette Returns to Korea After 3 Years

Arrival at Ulsan on the 15th for regular overhaul maintenance

The ‘Suspicious Shipbuilder’ HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, which constructed and delivered a vessel to the Philippine Navy, has seen the ship return to Ulsan three years after departing.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries announced that the Philippine Navy’s latest frigate, the ‘Jose Rizal,’ docked at the shipbuilding dock of its Ulsan headquarters on the 15th for scheduled maintenance.

On this day, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries employees, along with the crew members of the next-generation Aegis destroyer ‘Jeongjo Daewang’ being built for the Republic of Korea Navy at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, came out in front of the dock to welcome the arrival of the Jose Rizal.

The Jose Rizal, a 2,600-ton state-of-the-art frigate built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and delivered to the Philippines in May 2020, can sail over 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km) without refueling and is equipped with various weapon systems including a 76mm naval gun, surface-to-air missiles, and torpedoes.

On the 15th, the Philippine Navy's 'Jose Rizal' ship docked at Ulsan HD Hyundai Heavy Industries.
[Photo by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries]

The Jose Rizal, the first ship ordered from an overseas shipyard by the Philippines to modernize its naval forces, participated in the multinational maritime exercise ‘Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC)’ in its inaugural year of commission in 2020, proving its excellent performance and enhancing the international status of the Philippine Navy as a flagship vessel.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries also successfully delivered the second ship of the same class, the ‘Antonio Luna,’ to the Philippines in 2021, shortening the scheduled delivery by one month.

Additionally, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries established a ship logistics support center at the Subic naval base in the Philippines last year and provides MRO (Maintenance Repair & Overhaul) services for the two frigates delivered to the Philippines. The timely supply of parts and regular inspection services have received high praise from the frigate crews in terms of ship operation.

The scheduled maintenance, conducted as part of the MRO services, utilizes HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ latest facilities and is performed at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries dock to strengthen the Philippine Navy’s maintenance capabilities through on-site training by the shipyard and equipment manufacturers.

During this maintenance, which will last about a month until mid-next month, the Jose Rizal will have various propulsion, weapon systems, and components inspected, and major consumable parts replaced or repaired to maintain the ship’s performance.

On the 15th, the Philippine Navy's 'Jose Rizal' ship, which docked at Ulsan HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, was welcomed by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries employees and the crew of the Jeongjo the Great ship.
[Photo by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries]

With active cooperation from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the Republic of Korea Navy, joint training between the Korean and Philippine navies will be conducted during the scheduled maintenance period to enhance survival and combat capabilities. On the 19th, the crew of the Jeongjo Daewang will form mentoring partnerships with the Jose Rizal crew, sharing the Republic of Korea Navy’s ship operation know-how during the maintenance period to strengthen friendly relations between the two countries.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is also building two additional patrol vessels and six offshore patrol vessels ordered from the Philippines, actively expanding the reputation of K-defense exports into the shipbuilding sector.

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