Hanwha Ocean announced on the 3rd that it secured an order for six 13,650 TEU (1 TEU equals one 20-foot container) liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel propulsion container ships from Taiwan's Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. at a value of approximately 1.5527 trillion won.
The vessels will be constructed at Hanwha Ocean's Geoje shipyard and are scheduled for sequential delivery by the second half of 2029. This order follows up on Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp.'s initial contract with Hanwha Ocean, signed one year ago in September last year when it ordered seven 15,880 TEU LNG dual-fuel propulsion container ships.
The newly ordered ships will feature Hanwha Ocean's independently developed "High-Manganese Steel-Based Type-B LNG Fuel Tank." High-manganese steel offers superior price competitiveness compared to existing nickel alloy steel or aluminum while maintaining excellent toughness and strength in extreme low-temperature environments down to minus 163 degrees Celsius. This enables simultaneous enhancement of both safety and economic efficiency for LNG fuel tanks.
Additionally, the company plans to apply advanced hull form optimization technology to improve fuel efficiency, operational efficiency, and cargo loading efficiency. Through these measures, shipowners can reduce operating costs such as fuel expenses while effectively responding to increasingly stringent global environmental regulations.
Currently, the global container ship market is transitioning from a phase of large-scale fleet expansion to one focused on replacing aging vessels and shifting toward eco-friendly fleets in response to strengthened environmental regulations by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Aligning with this trend, Hanwha Ocean continues its selective order-taking strategy centered on high-value-added and environmentally friendly ships.
Following an earlier order for three very large gas carrier (VLGC) vessels from an Oceania-based shipowner for 477.8 billion won on the 1st, Hanwha Ocean has now secured a total of 2.0305 trillion won in orders within two days. Since the beginning of this year, the company has secured orders totaling 38 vessels and ships worth 7.07 billion dollars, including 17 very large crude carriers (VLCC), six LNG carriers, six container ships, three very large ammonia carriers (VLAC), three VLGCs, one wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV), one special-purpose ship, and one land-based plant project.
Kim Hee-cheol, Hanwha Oh Syeon (CEO) Director, stated, "The trust in Hanwha Ocean's design and production capabilities and project execution strength, confirmed through our first project, has been reaffirmed with this large-scale follow-up order just one year later." He added, "We will continue to enhance our differentiated eco-friendly technologies and quality competitiveness to ensure that our cooperative relationship with Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. develops into a long-term partnership."
in INDUSTRY
