South Korean Shipbuilding

Report: Containership Order Buoys S. Korea

According to a report on Reuters, shares in shipbuilders in South Korea were buoyed when news broke that Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering had won a $2 billion order from A.P. Moeller-Maersk AS to build 10 container ships. It was reported that it was also in the running for another larger order, 10 ships at $4b. Daewoo and the entire South Korean shipbuilding industry has been fending off fierce competition from China, as Chinese yards have now staked the claim as the world's most prolific shipbuilding country. (Source: Rueters & Staff reports)  

Editor's Note

Buoyant is perhaps the best word to describe the overall status of the world marine market. As you flip through the pages of this year’s Annual World Yearbook, you will find a number of articles, from the status of the U.S. Shipbuilding market, to the pending boom in the offshore oil and gas markets, to the staggering climb in dayrates for the tanker and bulker markets, which clearly show the industry is on the the way up

South Korea is Number One

According to a report from the Kyodo news service, the combined tonnage for ship orders received by South Korean shipbuilders was higher than that of Japanese shipbuilders in 2002. The Shipbuilders' Association of Japan reported that Japanese shipbuilders received orders worth a combined 5.9 million tons in the year, down 25.9% from 2001. South Korean shipbuilders reportedly received orders for a combined 7.59 million tons, up 18

EU To Propose Subsidy Program To Battle South Korea

The European Union is proposing to subsidize its embattled shipyards in a long-standing dispute over what it views as unfair competition from South Korea. The EU will make the proposal to an EU industrial council meeting in Sweden on May 15, said EU Ambassador to Korea Frank Hesske. Sweden is the current president of the 15-member group. The EU, which has been holding talks with South Korea about the issue for the past two years, could take the case to the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

Hyundai Heavy to Import Chinese Steel Plates

According to reports, Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd., has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. to import wide and heavy plates for shipbuilding. Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to import 180,000 tons of steel plates from Baosteel yearly. Hyundai Heavy Industries said that the price was lower than that offered by Japanese steelmarkers and a South Korean report said that South Korea would gradually enlarge imports of China- made steel plates for

STX Targets $3b Sales in 2012 at Chinese Shipyard

South Korea's STX Shipbuilding Co., said that its shipyard to be built will post $3b in sales in 2012, similar to that of its shipyard in Jinhae, South Korea. During a ground-breaking ceremony for the shipyard, Kang Duck-soo, chairman of STX Group, said its $500 million project to build the first South Korean-owned shipyard in China by the end of 2008 will help the company emerge as a global shipbuilder. STX Shipbuilding and its affiliate, STX Corp

Ship Subsidy Agreement Hammered Out In Brussels

The European Commission and South Korea have signed an agreement aimed at allaying European concerns that South Korean shipyards charge unfairly low prices, the European Union's executive body said. But the Commission said in a statement it has already asked for consultations with South Korea, as allowed for under the new agreement, "in order quickly to clarify several issues of concern and receive answers to key questions." These talks will take place in Seoul on July 18 and 19

S. Korea Eyes Cruise Building Market

Han Jong-chan assembles the massive blocks used to build ships at one of South Korea's huge and successful shipbuilding yards and has never been happier. Han has worked Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering's famed shipyard on remote Koje island here for 18 of his 38 years, recently on night shifts as hefty orders force workers to man giant cranes and welding shops around the clock. Despite a troubled past, a looming dispute with the European Union over subsidies and growing competition

STX Shipbuilding wins $373m Order from India

The STX Shipbuilding Co., South Korea's seventh-largest shipbuilder, has won a $373m order to build six petrochemical goods carriers for a shipping company in India. The order, which accounts for 30.7 per cent of STX Shipbuilding's sales last year, calls for the Korean shipbuilder to deliver the six vessels to India's Shipping Corp. by July 2010, the company said in a statement. Source: ANTARA

Samsung Heavy Industries to Launch Deal with Japanese Shipbuilder

Photo Credit: SHI It has been reported that South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with the Japanese company, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co. The deal is said to be the first of its kind, initiating a strategic collaboration between Japanese and South Korean shipbuilders. The cooperation would entail the construction and repair of cargo vessels and special purpose ships.