HMM Donates Sponsorship to Cheonghae Unit... "Thanks for Protecting Maritime Trade Routes"

"We Will Focus on Social Contribution Linked to the Shipping Industry"

HMM announced on the 23rd that it attended the Cheonghae Unit send-off event held on the Munmu the Great warship under the auspices of the Naval Operations Command on the 21st and delivered sponsorship funds.

On the 21st, an HMM official (left) attending the farewell event is delivering a donation to the Cheonghae Unit. Photo by HMM

The Cheonghae Unit is a special unit of the Republic of Korea Navy deployed to protect merchant ships threatened by Yemeni and Somali pirates. Since March 2009, a total of six warships have been dispatched on a semi-annual rotation to support the safe passage of domestic import and export vessels through the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The Gulf of Aden is a key area that ships heading to Europe must pass through to transit the Suez Canal.

Until recently, before the Red Sea situation made passage through the Suez Canal difficult, HMM’s main 24,000 TEU (1 TEU = one 20-foot container) class container ships frequently passed through the Gulf of Aden. HMM is the only Korean-flagged shipping company operating regular routes to Europe.

An HMM official said, "We are always grateful to the Cheonghae Unit soldiers who strive to protect maritime trade routes," adding, "We will continue to strengthen our social contribution efforts linked to the shipping industry."

Meanwhile, HMM is carrying out various social contribution activities related to its core shipping business, including 'support for the transportation of international relief supplies' and the 'waste rope recycling project,' which produces nylon raw materials by recycling waste ropes generated on ships.