The company said Thursday that eight officials from Sweden, including Erik Eklund, director general of the Swedish Maritime Administration, and Johannes Andreasson, deputy head of mission at the Swedish Embassy in Seoul, visited its shipyard in Ulsan on Wednesday for a kickoff meeting on the project.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries earlier won a $348.9 million contract from the Swedish Maritime Administration to build one icebreaker. The vessel is scheduled to be delivered in 2029.
During the visit, the Swedish delegation toured the company’s large commercial vessel yard as well as its naval and mid-sized vessel construction facilities. They also inspected its smart shipbuilding facilities, including automated equipment and advanced production systems.
The two sides then held a kickoff meeting to discuss the project schedule, design and quality control plans, and cooperation framework for the construction of the icebreaker.
The vessel will be designed to operate safely in the extreme conditions of the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said it plans to apply the latest eco-friendly and high-efficiency technologies to build an advanced icebreaker that meets the Swedish Maritime Administration’s operational requirements.
The company said it plans to use the project as a springboard to expand its presence in the global icebreaker market. It also aims to respond to possible additional orders from the Swedish Maritime Administration and growing demand for icebreakers from countries such as the United States and Canada.
“We will do our best to successfully build the icebreaker through cooperation with the Swedish government and the Swedish Maritime Administration,” said Joo Won-ho, head of naval and special ship business at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. “We hope this project will further strengthen shipbuilding and maritime cooperation between South Korea and Sweden.”
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