Hanwha Ocean's owned U.S. shipyard has received an order for liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers from Hanwha Group's subsidiary, Hanwha Shipping. This is the first time the shipyard has secured an order for LNG carriers.
On the 22nd, Hanwha Ocean announced that it had signed a construction contract for one LNG carrier worth 348 billion won with the shipyard (business name: Hanwha Philly Shipyard) and secured an option contract for an additional one.
According to the contract, Hanwha Shipping will order the LNG carriers from the shipyard, and the shipyard will subcontract the ship construction to its parent company, Hanwha Ocean.
According to the contract, a significant portion of the LNG carrier construction is expected to take place at the Hanwha Ocean shipyard in Geoje. The shipyard currently lacks the supply chain and personnel capable of constructing LNG vessels.
Instead, the shipyard will handle the local certification work needed to register the vessel as a U.S. ship. Even if the construction takes place in Korea, if the launching and completion occur in the U.S., it can be registered as a U.S. merchant ship.
A representative from Hanwha Ocean said, "We expect that through the joint construction of LNG carriers, Hanwha Ocean's technological prowess will be transferred to the shipyard."