Climbing at Hyundai Heavy Industries... Boarding an LNG Ship as Tall as a 14-Story Apartment [Report]

First Domestic LNG Carrier Built in 1994
Total 95 Delivered...Current Orders 34% LNG Carriers
"China Still Far Behind...Gap in Low-Carbon and Fuel Reduction Technologies"

"You have to steel your mind and climb up. It will feel like hiking."

On the afternoon of the 22nd at the world's largest Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan Shipyard, a 174,000m³ ultra-large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier, with 87% of the entire process completed, was docked at the pier. "Wow..." Looking up at the ship, as tall as a 14-story apartment building (35.5m), continuous exclamations of admiration escaped. It was a grandeur that left one speechless.

The length is 299m. If the ship were stood vertically, it would be 50m longer than the 63 Building (249.6m). The ship's width is 46.4m. A Korean Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering employee from Seoul who accompanied me said, "Every time I come to Ulsan, I see many large ships, but I am always amazed that people actually built this gigantic vessel."

Ultra-large liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier with a capacity of 174,000 m³
[Photo by Hyundai Heavy Industries]

Hyundai Heavy Industries received the order for this ship in December 2020, went through the design process, and began construction at the production site in December 2021. The first step in construction is cutting steel plates. The thickness of the steel plates ranges from 16mm to 30mm. The welded steel plates according to the design are called blocks. Blocks are joined together to form large blocks. Depending on the ship size, between 250 and 400 blocks are needed.

Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan Shipyard dock view. Hyundai Heavy Industries owns a total of 11 docks.
[Photo by Hyundai Heavy Industries]

The large blocks are loaded onto special vehicles called transporters and transported beside the dock. Each wheel of the transporter can bear tens of tons of weight. Now it is the turn of the large crane called the 'Goliath Crane.' It is named for its strength. The large blocks are lifted and moved into the dock.

At the dock, the ship's exterior is formed by welding from the bottom up in sequence. Once the ship's heart?the engine?and living quarters are installed, construction is complete. Then water is filled into the dock to float the ship, and the dock's gate at the end is opened to tow the ship out with tugboats. This process is called 'launching.'

Ultra-large LNG carrier with a capacity of 174,000 m³
[Photo by Hyundai Heavy Industries]

The ship that completed all these processes was right before our eyes. It was floating at the pier while finishing work such as installing internal electrical facilities and communication equipment. After passing the final performance test during sea trials with the owner's supervisor, the ship will be named and delivered to the owner.

This ship is scheduled to be delivered to a European shipping company in June. At the Ulsan headquarters, there is a separate supervisor office where overseas supervisors work. When shipowners order a ship, they dispatch supervisors to oversee the process.

Hyundai Heavy Industries employs supervisors of various nationalities and operates a foreign school for their families. We took a temporarily installed elevator on the ship's exterior. It took one minute to go from the ground to the deck. We walked to the bow, the front part of the ship. There were about a dozen huge iron structures shaped like screws scattered around. These are anchoring devices.

Kim Young-seok, Hyundai Heavy Industries Project Manager (PM, Department Head), explained, "When the ship approaches the port, it must wait about 1 mile (1.6 km) away from the port before the pilot arrives," adding, "At this time, the anchor is lowered into the sea to fix the ship." There are two anchor chains, one on each side of the ship.

The wheelhouse of a 174,000m³-class LNG carrier in the final stages of construction [Photo by Hyundai Heavy Industries]

Following the guide, we climbed hundreds of stairs installed in narrow passageways. Breathing heavily and climbing frantically, we reached the wheelhouse. It was filled with various instrument panels still wrapped in protective plastic.

At the very bottom of the ship, there are two dual-fuel engines that alternately burn natural gas and diesel (Bunker C fuel oil). These large engines, 16m high and 18m wide, produce a pulling power equivalent to 22,000 horsepower. They are equipped with environmentally friendly devices such as sulfur oxide reduction systems (Scrubber) and nitrogen oxide reduction systems (SCR). The ship's bottom also has an air injection device that reduces fuel consumption by 10-15% compared to other ships. It creates air bubbles to reduce friction on the hull surface, thereby saving fuel. The 'flower of LNG carriers,' the cargo tanks, total four in number.

The cargo tanks are storage warehouses that maintain and store LNG at minus 162 degrees Celsius. They incorporate cryogenic technology. The crew usually consists of about 10 officers, including the captain and navigators, and about 30 general crew members working on the deck.

In preparation for emergencies, sealed lifeboats are installed on both sides of the ship. Each lifeboat can accommodate 34 people. Kim Young-seok PM said, "They are installed on the port (left) and starboard (right) sides so that even if the ship tilts to one side, escape is possible from the other side."

Hyundai Heavy Industries Ulsan Shipyard Panorama
[Photo by Hyundai Heavy Industries]

Hyundai Heavy Industries began constructing LNG carriers for the first time in Korea in 1994 and has delivered 95 LNG carriers to date. Currently, 53 out of 155 ships on order at Hyundai Heavy Industries (34%) are LNG carriers. LNG carriers, which require advanced construction technology, are representative high-value-added eco-friendly ships. Hyundai Heavy Industries PM Lee Man-su said, "China makes low-cost bulk carriers that we hardly produce nowadays."

He explained that there is still a technological gap with China. He added, "We possess world-class eco-friendly ship technology and continue to develop new technologies," emphasizing, "Technology itself is money." Last month, the price of LNG carriers over 174,000m³ reached $250 million (about 330 billion KRW) per ship, a 34% increase in two years. The shipbuilding industry has escaped a long recession and has been enjoying a boom in orders since 2021. Hyundai Heavy Industries has secured three years' worth of work.