Reaching This Year’s Order Goal

Hyundai Heavy Industries will build two naval escorts for the Korean Navy 633.5 billion won (US$561.5 million).

Hyundai Heavy Industries announced on Dec. 13 that it concluded a contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) of Korea to build two 2,800-ton class convoys for 633.5 billion won (US$561.5 million). The two ships are the seventh and eighth vessel of the Korean Navy's second-phase 2,800-ton class escort project (FFG Batch-II). The vessels are 122 meters long and 14 meters wide, and can sail at up to 30 knots per hour.

The two escorts will have enhanced combat capabilities compared to first-phase naval escorts as they will be equipped with state-of-the-art weapon systems, including tactical ship-to-ground guided missiles and long-range anti-submarine guided missiles. They will also have better combat readiness against submarines as a hybrid propulsion system with less underwater noise will be loaded into them.

The construction of the naval escorts will kick off in the second half of 2020. They will be delivered to the Korean Navy by 2023. Since Hyundai Heavy Industries built the Ulsan, Korea’s first combat ship, in 1980, the company has built the largest number of navy vessels in Korea by delivering about 80 units.

The Hyundai Heavy Industries Group has won orders for 153 vessels amounting to US$13.3 billion so far this year, surpassing its order receipt goal of US$13.2 billion for this year. In the gas carrier segment, the group won orders for 25 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers and 15 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tankers. The group also signed contracts to build 56 oil tankers, 50 container ships, four bulk carriers, two convoys, one car ferry.

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