Samsung Heavy Industries Holds Naming Ceremony for 'Orion Spirit' Ship
South Korea's shipbuilding industry has achieved the export of its 500th liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier. It has been 30 years since the construction of LNG carriers began in 1994.
On the 18th, Samsung Heavy Industries held a naming ceremony for the 500th LNG carrier export, the "Orion Spirit," at its Geoje shipyard, attended by Ahn Deok-geun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy. The Orion Spirit will be delivered to JP Morgan in the United States.
LNG carriers are vessels designed to safely transport ultra-low temperature liquefied gas at minus 163 degrees Celsius. They are technically challenging to build and have only been constructed in nine countries. Each vessel is a high-value ship costing over 300 billion KRW. Currently, there are 680 LNG carriers operating worldwide, with three-quarters built in South Korea. There are also 256 vessels under construction domestically.
In the first quarter of this year, South Korea's shipbuilding industry secured orders worth 13.6 billion USD, ranking first in the world. Notably, Korean companies secured 100% of the global orders for LNG carriers and ammonia carriers. The government expects the shipbuilding industry to contribute to achieving the export target of 700 billion USD this year.
Minister Ahn stated, "The government will swiftly address urgent issues such as securing cutting-edge technology and workforce challenges centered on the recently launched 'K-Shipbuilding Initiative'." On the same day, Minister Ahn also visited Geoje Technical High School, designated as a shipbuilding-specialized Meister high school, to encourage school officials and students.
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