Eco-friendly Ship Global Market Penetration 'Smooth Sailing'... HJ Heavy Industries Secures Order for Two 7700TEU LNG Dual-Fuel Container Ships

by Kim Yongu

Published 23 Jun.2022 11:40(KST)

Updated 09 Aug.2025 18:37(KST)

With the addition of 2 option ships, orders expected to reach 800 billion KRW, surpassing half of this year's target

Container ship built by HJ Heavy Industries.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] HJ Heavy Industries is leading the global eco-friendly ship market by securing orders for two 7,700 TEU-class LNG dual-fuel propulsion container ships worth a total of 240 million USD.

On the 23rd, HJ Heavy Industries announced that in addition to the order for two vessels from a European shipowner, it has separately signed a construction contract for two optional vessels.

After securing orders for four 5,500 TEU-class container ships last year, the company added two more vessels of the same type in March this year, and now by securing two 7,700 TEU-class container ships, it has achieved a total order backlog of eight container ships.

The current contract includes two optional vessels, raising expectations for additional orders. If the option contracts are exercised, HJ Heavy Industries’ container ship order backlog will increase to 10 vessels, and the total order value this year will exceed 800 billion KRW, surpassing half of this year’s target.

The ships ordered by HJ Heavy Industries are 272 meters in length and operate at a speed of 22 knots. They are 7,700 TEU-class LNG dual-fuel propulsion container ships reflecting state-of-the-art specifications and eco-friendly designs. The company demonstrated its technological capability by obtaining conformity approval for this ship type from the UK classification society in April.

The 7,700 TEU-class LNG dual-fuel propulsion container ships developed by the company feature GTT’s Mark III membrane fuel tanks, securing a storage capacity of 6,100 cubic meters while maximizing container loading capacity.

They comply with various environmental regulations, including the International Maritime Organization’s sulfur oxide (SOx) regulations, the strengthened carbon dioxide (CO2) emission regulations effective from April 1, 2022, under the Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) Phase III standards, and the IGF Code (International Code of Safety for Ships Using Gases or Other Low-flashpoint Fuels).

HJ Heavy Industries previously designed six 5,500 TEU-class container ships to be capable of using methanol as fuel in the future. The current 7,700 TEU-class container ships also apply the latest technology enabling LNG operation, accumulating technological expertise in the eco-friendly container ship sector and gaining market trust.

An HJ Heavy Industries official said, “This is the first contract for the 7,700 TEU-class LNG dual-fuel propulsion container ship certified by the UK classification society in April,” adding, “We plan to focus our capabilities on developing and securing orders for eco-friendly, high value-added ships to actively meet shipowners’ demands in line with the carbon-neutral era.”

HJ Heavy Industries plans to build the container ships ordered this time at its Busan Yeongdo shipyard and deliver them sequentially starting from the end of 2024.