HD Hyundai has built a milestone as the first in the world to deliver 5,000 ships, half a century after delivering its first vessel in 1974.
HD Hyundai said on the 19th that it held a ceremony at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan to mark the delivery of its 5,000th ship.
Attendees at the ceremony included Chairman Chung Ki-sun of HD Hyundai; lawmakers Kim Tae-seon and Yoon Jong-oh; Park Dong-il, Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; Ahn Byung-gil, president of the Korea Ocean Business Corporation; and Park Jeong-seok, chairman of Korea Marine Transport Co. (KMTC).
HD Hyundai stressed that delivering a cumulative 5,000 ships is a monumental record not achieved even in Europe and Japan, where shipbuilding has a longer history than in Korea.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries delivered 2,631 ships, HD Hyundai Mipo 1,570, and HD Hyundai Samho 799.
Assuming a ship length of 250 meters, the total length of 5,000 ships comes to 1,250 kilometers. That 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 said, "Five thousand ships are the pride of Korea's shipbuilding industry and the history of a challenge that changed the paradigm of the global maritime industry," adding, "Based on the challenge we built together, we will press ahead toward the next 5,000 ships and another half-century."
The 5,000th ship delivered by HD Hyundai is the second Philippine patrol vessel, "Diego Silang."
Diego Silang is a state-of-the-art warship measuring 118.4 meters in length and 14.9 meters in beam, with a cruising speed of 15 knots (28 kph) and a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,330 kilometers). It was launched in March and delivered to the Philippine Navy last month.
Starting with its first delivery in 1974, the 260,000-ton very large crude carrier "Atlantic Baron," HD Hyundai has delivered ships to more than 700 shipowners in 68 countries, culminating in the delivery of Diego Silang.
Meanwhile, at Chairman Chung's suggestion, HD Hyundai decided to give 300,000 won in gift certificates to employees of its shipbuilding affiliates and workers at in-house partner companies to commemorate the delivery of 5,000 ships.