HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Secures First Overseas Icebreaker Order Worth $348.9 Million

First Entry into the Global Icebreaker Market... Expansion into the Special-Purpose Vessel Business
Securing the Order Against Finland and Norway... Delivery Scheduled for 2029

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has become the first Korean shipyard to successfully win an overseas order for an icebreaker vessel.

Rendering of the icebreaking special vessel ordered by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries of Sweden. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries

On April 22, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries announced that it had signed a contract with the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) to build one icebreaker vessel, valued at 348.9 million dollars (approximately 515.7 billion won).

In this bidding process, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was recognized for its competitiveness in key areas such as price, delivery schedule, and technological capabilities. The vessel is scheduled for delivery in 2029, and it will serve various roles in the Baltic Sea, including icebreaking support, fleet operation assistance, towing operations, and ice management tasks for Sweden.

This contract is particularly significant as it was secured through competition with leading icebreaker shipbuilding nations such as Finland and Norway, marking the first entry of a Korean shipyard into the global icebreaker market.

It is also regarded as a successful example of public-private cooperation, achieved with the support of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Sweden and the KOTRA Stockholm Trade Center.

An icebreaker vessel is a specialized ship designed to break through ice-covered waters and secure navigation routes. These vessels feature a reinforced hull, icebreaking performance, and a special hull design structure.

The vessel ordered in this contract will be 126 meters long, have a displacement of 15,000 tons, and will be equipped with icebreaking capability at the PC4 (Polar Class 4) level, suitable for polar operations, along with an electric propulsion system. The PC4 class means it can continuously break through sea ice with a thickness of about 1 to 1.2 meters.

Globally, demand for icebreakers is on the rise. In 2025, the United States passed legislation to increase its budget for icebreaker vessels to approximately 9 billion dollars, while Canada and Finland are collaborating to build the ICE Pact to enhance polar operation capacity. According to the 2024 ICE Pact plan, it is projected that 70 to 90 icebreakers will be constructed over the next decade.

According to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the company plans to use this contract as a springboard to strengthen its icebreaker construction capabilities and to expand its business into the global markets for naval and special-purpose vessels that require icebreaking functions.

Joo Wonho, President of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, stated, "With this icebreaker contract, our business capabilities have been recognized in the global market," adding, "We will continue to expand our export market in the special-purpose vessel sector based on our technological prowess and integrated capabilities."

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