[Courtesy of Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering]
SEOUL -- South Korea's Hyundai shipbuilding group has secured an order worth 745 billion won ($580 million) from the Philippines to build and deliver six 2,400-ton offshore patrol vessels by the end of 2028. The ship mounted with a 76mm gun and two 30mm auxiliary guns will have a helideck to operate helicopters and drones.
Under a customized contract signed with the Philippine Defense Department in Manila on June 27, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) said it would reflect requirements from its client to build offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), which are 94.4 meters long and features a maximum speed of 22 knots (41 kilometers per hour), a cruising range of 5,500 nautical miles (101,190 km).
A patrol vessel is a relatively small naval vessel designed for coastal defense, border protection, immigration law enforcement, and rescue duties. In 2021, HHI unveiled the export variant of a new OPV design, called "HDP-1500 Neo," which is 81m long and has a displacement of 1,700 tons, a maximum speed of 21 knots, and a maximum range of 5,500 nautical miles.
HHI has delivered two frigates to the Philippines. In 2021, the shipbuilder secured an order to build two new corvettes. With its OPV contract, the shipbuilder disclosed its strategy to actively tap the overseas warship market, saying it would try to become a '"global top-class warship solution partner" encompassing design, construction and maintenance repair overhaul (MRO) services.
"We will try to lead the new market focusing on technology through intensive investment in R&D along with our business diversification strategy," Nam Sang-hoon, head of HHI's naval and special ship business unit, said in a statement.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.