South Korea

Shipbuilders Complain About S. Korean Shipbuilding Aid

European shipbuilders recently complained to the European Union over South Korean state aid to its shipbuilders, opening the way for a possible EU case against Seoul at the World Trade Organization (WTO), Reuters reported. The Committee of EU Shipbuilders' Associations (CESA) said it had filed a complaint with the European Commission under the EU's Trade Barriers Regulation over alleged trade distortions in global shipbuilding caused by South Korean aid to its industry. "We are complaining about the state aid that Korean companies are receiving," Reinhard Lueken, the head of CESA's Brussels office. He said there were a number of bankrupt shipyards in Korea still offering prices which did not cover their costs. "By doing so they have a very harmful effect for the European industry," he said. The EU has repeatedly accused South Korea of setting unfairly low prices for shipbuilding, undercutting European yards. The EU and South Korea hammered out an agreement in April aimed at stabilizing the world shipbuilding market, which the EU says suffers from overcapacity and steadily falling prices. But the EU has accused South Korea of not fully implementing the agreement. When further talks broke down in September, the EU said it could launch a WTO dispute against South Korean shipbuilding practices. But, it said it would first have to receive a complaint from European shipbuilders before it could do so.

NMEA Agreement with South Korea's MEIPA

The National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) and the Marine Electronics Industry Promotion Association (MEIPA) of South Korea have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will insure the adoption of NMEA standards, training and product certification throughout South Korea, the number one shipbuilding nation in the world. The MOU sets a framework for NMEA and MEIPA to work together to develop courses and materials for the South Korean market

Hyundai Founder Dies

Chung Ju-yung, the rags-to-riches founder of South Korea's mighty Hyundai industrial empire, died on Wednesday aged 85. Born into a poverty-stricken farming family in 1915 in what is now North Korea, Chung helped propel South Korea from the ashes of civil war into an industrial powerhouse. Chung died in hospital from complications from pneumonia, hospital officials said. Chung left home at 18 to seek his fortune against the will of his father who wanted his first son to feed his family

South Korea to Ban Single-Hulled Tankers after Spill

Reuters reported that South Korea will ban single-hulled tankers from traveling in its waters by 2011, earlier than the international regulation that calls for a ban from 2015, Seoul's maritime ministry said. A single-hulled tanker was involved in South Korea's worst oil spill last month, leaking around 10,500 tons of crude oil after a sea-bound crane mounted on a barge punched holes in the tanker's hull. As of January

China Keeps Top Position in Ship Building

In advance of SMM 2012, the leading trade fair for the maritime industries, to be held at the Hamburg Fair site from September 4-7, the duel in international shipbuilding is going into the next round – the Chinese shipyards were just ahead again in 2011. According to the latest survey by Clarkson Research, China delivered a total of 1,177 ships with 67.2 million DWT. The closest competitor was South Korea, which had 531 ships and 53

South Korean Shipbuilders' Order Book Shrinks

South Korean shipbuilding orders drop 58.6 percent through September 2012. South Korean shipbuilding orders dropped 58.6 percent for the first nine months of this year due to the persistent recession in the global shipbuilding industry, a government report reveals. The drop was attributed to the recession in the global shipbuilding industry. Global shipbuilding orders declined 48 percent to 14.34 CGT over the cited period due to an oversupply of ships and the prolonged global eaconomic

Daewoo Shipbuilding Shares Surge on M&A Talk

South Korea's Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. shares rose as much as 6.7 percent on August 3 after a local newspaper said steel maker POSCO Co. Ltd. was interested in buying the shipbuilder. South Korea aims to sell a controlling stake in Daewoo, the world's second-biggest shipbuilder, in the second half of 2006. State-run Korea Development Bank and government restructuring agency KAMCO own a combined 50.6 percent stake, valued at more than $3b according to current market prices

Qatargas Gains Two New LNG Vessels

Two new LNG vessels that will join the Qatargas fleet have been handed over to the owners’ consortium by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Ltd (DSME) at its ship building yard in the Geoje Island in South Korea. The vessels Al Ruwais and Al Safliya will now proceed with bunkering and leave South Korea in the next few days. The first cargo will be delivered to Japan using one of these vessels before the year end.

European Shipbuilders want Decision on Korea Now

In a long running battle to level the theoretical playing field, European shipbuilders want the European Commission to stop delaying its response to what they see as unfair competition from shipyards in South Korea, according to a Reuters report. European shipbuilders, which have steadily seen the balance of its shipbuilding activities flow to the massive shipbuilding machines in Japan, South Korea and now China, have apparently reached their limit on seemingly endless negotiations

CG Forum Ships Train in Puget Sound

In support of the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum (NPCGF), an international partnership of Coast Guard-like agencies from Japan, Russian, China, South Korea, Canada and the U.S., the U.S. Coast Guard will host an international, humanitarian service training exercise Aug. 24-27 in the Port Angeles, Wash., and Seattle areas. The training evolution, named Pacific Unity to honor the partnerships that exist among the NPCGF nations