HD Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding division, has signed a contract with HMM for the construction of eight 13,400 TEU dual-fuel propulsion containerships.
The total contract value is KRW2.13 trillion ($1.5 billion).
The vessels will measure 337 metres in length, 51 metres in width, and 27.9 metres in height. They will be equipped with liquefied natural gas (LNG) dual-fuel propulsion engines and fuel tanks approximately 50 per cent larger than standard to improve operational efficiency.
Under the agreement, two of the vessels will be built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, while the remaining six will be constructed by HD Hyundai Samho. Delivery is scheduled to take place sequentially through the first half of 2029.
HD Hyundai noted that this represents its largest container ship order in 18 years, dating back to 2007. With this contract, the company has secured orders for 69 container ships totalling 720,000 TEU this year.
The ships will feature systems developed by autonomous navigation specialist Avicus. Since 2023, HD Hyundai noted it has been installing this technology, which applies autonomous navigation assistance and RPM control.
The company stated that the system has demonstrated a 15 per cent reduction in local emissions and a corresponding increase in fuel efficiency based on operating data.
