The sky-high price of international oil causing jitters in many sectors of the economy is being met with rather more cheer by Korean shipbuilders. High oil prices have resulted in a surge in orders for crude oil drilling facilities, which are the second-most profitable business for shipbuilders after liquefied natural gas vessels, according to a report on inadaily.com. Sales of oil drilling facilities this year at the top three shipbuilders in Korea - Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Samsung Heavy Industries Co., and Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. - amounted to $4.7 billion as of last month. To put this in context, sales of such products at the three companies ran to just $1.8 billion for the whole of last year.
