Hanwha Ocean Reviews Establishing Indoor Assembly Factory for Frigate Construction and More

Trap Construction Capability Can Be Expanded to Double

Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan visited the Hanwha Ocean booth at last month's MADEX (International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition), touring the displayed surface ships and receiving explanations. Photo by Hanwha Ocean

Hanwha Ocean is considering a large-scale new facility investment for the construction of frigates. This is to ensure the timely deployment of frigates through the specialization of construction lines that can maximize shipbuilding productivity.

Hanwha Ocean is planning to build the country's first indoor outfitting factory capable of simultaneously constructing two surface ships.

The indoor outfitting factory for surface ships carries out the shipbuilding process indoors. This extraordinary measure ensures stable delivery of surface ships within the scheduled deadline without being affected by weather conditions such as rain or typhoons, as well as facilitating smooth night work. The increased indoor work reduces exposure to outside air during the construction period, minimizing contamination and loss of the hull and outfitting equipment, thereby dramatically improving the quality of surface ships.

The newly constructed indoor outfitting factory for surface ships will include two indoor cranes with a capacity of 300 tons each, the largest in the country. These cranes enable the use of large block construction methods, shortening assembly and outfitting processes. The sufficient sea trial period secured through process shortening leads to improved surface ship quality.

Maximizing shipbuilding productivity through the indoor outfitting factory for surface ships is ultimately expected to guarantee the timely deployment of frigates.

Hanwha Ocean will also build a dedicated multipurpose assembly factory for naval vessels. By adding automated assembly processes, it will increase surface ship production volume while ensuring safety. Additionally, specialized thin-plate equipment that minimizes hull deformation during assembly will be added, enabling the construction of high-quality surface ships with maximized operational performance.

Through this, Hanwha Ocean is determined to utilize the facility as the optimal construction site for building the 5th and 6th ships of the Ulsan-class frigates (FFX Batch-III).

A Hanwha Ocean official stated, "Through the indoor outfitting factory for surface ships, we will proactively secure sufficient facilities necessary for the construction and major repairs of the Republic of Korea Navy's next-generation vessels," adding, "We will secure enough time to reflect the Navy's improvement and supplementation requirements, and prepare to ensure that overseas export volumes of naval vessels do not interfere with the Korean Navy."

By equipping the highest level of facilities in Korea in addition to the top-level know-how demonstrated so far in the surface ship sector, Hanwha Ocean plans not only to contribute to strengthening the Republic of Korea Navy's capabilities but also to take the lead in expanding defense exports.

Hanwha Ocean's expertise in the surface ship sector is top-notch.

Hanwha Ocean constructed half of the eight ships in the Daegu-class frigate series. It has built over 40 surface ships, including three 3,000-ton KDX-1, three 4,000-ton KDX-2, and one 7,600-ton KDX-3 as part of the Korean Destroyer eXperimental (KDX) program. Hanwha Ocean is the only company that has participated in all Korean destroyer construction projects.

Hanwha Ocean's competitiveness in surface ships is widely recognized overseas as well. Starting with a frigate order from the Bangladesh Navy in March 1998, it has a history of surface ship exports including two Malaysian training ships (2010), four British fleet replenishment ships (2013), a Norwegian fleet replenishment ship (2013), and a Thai frigate (2013). Recently, it succeeded in domestic production of vibration and noise reduction coatings that enhance operational performance of naval vessels, contributing to strengthening naval combat power and Korea’s maritime self-defense through various research and development and investments.

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