This marks HJ Shipbuilding's return to Posidonia after eight years. Yoo explained, "There has been an increase in orders, particularly for eco-friendly ships, and the strategic importance of the shipbuilding industry has risen significantly. We decided to come here to actively secure order opportunities with global shipowners."
Yoo highlighted the trends in the shipbuilding industry, focusing on eco-friendliness and autonomous navigation. He stated, "The direction of the shipbuilding industry is toward eco-friendliness, fuel efficiency, and autonomous navigation. If we cannot reduce shipbuilding costs and enhance operational efficiency using AI and digital technologies, it will be difficult to survive in the market."
During the event, HJ Shipbuilding is actively seeking to expand collaborations to enhance its competitiveness in eco-friendly ships and digital technologies. The company signed a technical cooperation and certification agreement with Korea Register (KR) for the development of a 10,000 TEU biofuel container ship and an MOU with Avikus, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai specializing in autonomous navigation solutions.
HJ Shipbuilding is particularly focused on biofuel-powered container ships this year. Yoo noted, "There is growing market interest in reducing carbon emissions by blending fossil fuels with biofuels, and we are receiving numerous inquiries related to this. We are already in discussions with several shipowners and will comprehensively review the timing of orders to achieve favorable results based on market conditions."
Yoo expressed confidence in the company's growth due to business expansion. HJ Shipbuilding's shipbuilding division recorded approximately 940 billion won in revenue and 55 billion won in operating profit last year. This represents a 14% increase in revenue and a 90% increase in operating profit compared to the previous year, driven by a strategy focused on eco-friendly and high-value-added ships.
He stated, "This year, we expect significant improvements in both revenue and operating profit, and we believe we can show a much better performance compared to last year, both numerically and operationally."
Yoo also expressed confidence in the U.S. maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) business, which has emerged as a future growth area for the shipbuilding industry. He mentioned, "After returning from a business trip to the U.S. last month, we are preparing many things related to MRO, and we will strive to achieve meaningful results in the second half of the year."
Starting with Posidonia, HJ Shipbuilding plans to participate in Nor-Shipping next year to actively expand its overseas sales efforts. This is aimed at broadening connections with global shipowners in response to the increasing orders for eco-friendly ships and actively discovering new order opportunities.
Yoo emphasized, "Rather than focusing solely on specific areas, we plan to actively explore business opportunities that align with the current trends in the shipbuilding industry. Even if we cannot be the first movers, we will respond more quickly than anyone else to the changes demanded by the market to secure our competitiveness." [This article was supported by the Foundation for the Sea and the Korean Maritime Journalists Association.]
* This article has been translated by AI.
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