HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said on the 29th that, in partnership with domestic small and midsize companies, it has localized a high-pressure pump for fuel supply, a key component for liquefied natural gas (LNG)-fueled vessels.
A high-pressure pump is equipment in the fuel supply system of LNG-fueled ships that sends fuel to the engine at the required pressure. Until now, foreign companies have dominated the market for this product, leaving Korea's shipbuilding sector reliant on imports, which led to limits such as maintenance and supply chain uncertainty.
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering developed the high-pressure pump in-house, and domestic small and midsize firms including Freetec and Seongmun participated in manufacturing and packaging the product, enabling localization.
Liberia, as the flag state, also took part in the development process, conducting tests and reviews that reflect actual ship operation environments to enhance safety.
The high-pressure pump recently received final performance verification and type approval certification from Bureau Veritas (BV) of France, and the company said it has secured supply contracts for more than 70 ships with domestic and overseas shipyards to date.
Nam Young-jun, head of the SD Business at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, said, "We will build on proven safety and successfully apply the pump to actual ships to raise customer service satisfaction another notch."