Lloyd's Register, One of the World's Top Three Classification Societies Based in the UK
Joining Forces to Enter the Warship Export Market
Hanwha Ocean is entering the export warship market by partnering with Lloyd's Register, which is renowned as the world's leading classification society in the field of naval vessels.
On June 2, Hanwha Ocean announced that it had signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Lloyd's Register for cooperation on design certification and quality assurance for overseas warship exports at the International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (Madex) held at BEXCO in Busan. The signing ceremony took place on May 30, with Seungkyun Jung, Vice President and Head of Special Ship Overseas Business Division at Hanwha Ocean, and Choongsik Hong, Vice President and Far East Asia Business Director at Lloyd's Register, along with other officials from both companies, in attendance.
On the 30th of last month at the Busan Madex venue, Hanwha Ocean Vice President Seungkyun Jung (center), Head of Special Ship Overseas Business Division, and Lloyd's Register Far East Asia Business Director Choongsik Hong (second from left), along with other company officials, are taking a commemorative photo after signing a strategic cooperation MOU for overseas warship exports. (Photo by Hanwha Ocean)
This agreement is a strategic measure aimed at securing design reliability and safety that meet the international certification standards required by the navies of major export markets, thereby strengthening Hanwha Ocean's export competitiveness in the global defense industry market. Classification societies are independent third-party organizations that verify whether ships are designed and built safely in accordance with international regulations and certify their compliance. For warships, classification society certification serves as an official guarantee that the vessel meets international naval standards and ensures the reliability of its design and construction.
Lloyd's Register, headquartered in the United Kingdom, is one of the world's top three classification societies and has earned high trust and reputation among global naval customers through its authority and influence on technical standards in the international defense and naval markets. In particular, Lloyd's Register's Naval Ship Rules reflect technical requirements equivalent to NATO naval construction standards, meaning that applying these rules ensures international-level safety and design reliability for export warships.
Through this agreement, Hanwha Ocean will apply Lloyd's Register's Naval Ship Rules from the design stage, enabling the company to obtain the level of design certification (Approval in Principle, AIP) required by overseas customers and to systematically secure safety and regulatory compliance from the pre-construction phase. The two companies plan to establish a comprehensive cooperation framework that includes design review and certification, interpretation of technical regulations, establishment of quality management procedures, and joint technical marketing to the governments and navies of export target countries.
This agreement is regarded as a case in which Hanwha Ocean has demonstrated the reliability and technical readiness of its warship designs for the export market through collaboration with a global classification society. Going forward, Hanwha Ocean plans to further accelerate its entry into advanced overseas warship markets, including Europe, based on its partnership with Lloyd's Register.
Seungkyun Jung, Vice President, said, "This has created an opportunity to enhance our competitiveness by accommodating the diverse requirements of each country and having them officially guaranteed by a classification society. As a leader in K-defense maritime exports, we will do our utmost to deliver positive results through exemplary cooperation with Lloyd's Register, a world-class classification society."
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