HD Hyundai Achieves World-First Milestone: 5,000 Ships Delivered in Half a Century

A Historic Milestone 50 Years After the First Delivery in 1974
A Symbol of Korea's Shipbuilding Competitiveness... Chung Ki-sun: "Toward Another Half-Century"
Philippine Patrol Ship "Diego Silang" Marks the 5,000th Vessel

HD Hyundai has achieved a world-first milestone by building and delivering 5,000 ships, half a century after delivering its first vessel in 1974.

On November 19, HD Hyundai held a "5,000th Ship Delivery Ceremony" at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan. The event was attended by HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Taeseon (Ulsan Dong-gu), Progressive Party lawmaker Yoon Jongoh (Ulsan Buk-gu), Park Dongil, Director General for Industrial Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ahn Byunggil, President of Korea Ocean Business Corporation, and Park Jeongseok, Chairman of Korea Marine Transport (also Chairman of the Korea Shipowners' Association), among others.

The 5,000th vessel delivered is the Philippine Navy patrol ship "Diego Silang." The Diego Silang is a state-of-the-art vessel measuring 118.4 meters in length and 14.9 meters in width, with a cruising speed of 15 knots (about 28 km/h) and a range of 4,500 nautical miles (about 8,330 km). It was launched in March and officially delivered to the Philippine Navy last month. HD Hyundai has received orders from the Philippine government for a total of 10 vessels, which are currently under construction.

Starting with the delivery of the 260,000-ton class supertanker "Atlantic Baron" in 1974, HD Hyundai has delivered ships to more than 700 shipowners in 68 countries, including the Diego Silang. This is a record not achieved even by Europe or Japan, both of which have longer shipbuilding histories.

By affiliate, the delivery record is as follows: HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, 2,631 ships; HD Hyundai Mipo, 1,570 ships; and HD Hyundai Samho, 799 ships. If the average ship length is calculated as 250 meters, the total length reaches 1,250 kilometers. This is longer than the straight-line distance from Seoul to Tokyo (about 1,150 kilometers) and more than 140 times the height of Mount Everest (about 8,800 meters).

Chairman Chung Ki-sun stated, "Delivering 5,000 ships is a source of pride for Korea's shipbuilding industry and a history of challenge that has changed the paradigm of the global maritime industry. Building on this shared history of challenge, we will confidently move forward toward the next 5,000 ships."

Meanwhile, to commemorate this achievement, HD Hyundai has decided to give 300,000 won worth of gift certificates to employees of its shipbuilding affiliates and partner companies. Last year, HD Hyundai's three shipbuilding companies delivered a total of 144 vessels, including container ships and LNG carriers.