HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) has won a $350 million contract to build a new icebreaking vessel for the Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA).
In doing so it has become the first South Korean firm to win an export order for such a vessel. To bag the deal it was selected over rival bids from traditional Scandinavian manufacturers of the specialist ships.
Under the terms of the deal signed with the SMA, delivery of the 15,000 ton vessel is scheduled during 2029. It will feature a reinforced hull shaped to disperse floes, and a powerful electric propulsion system giving it Polar Class 4 capabilities, meaning it can break sea ice up to 1.2 metres thick.
As per a company statement, the new vessel will perform a range of tasks including icebreaking and fleet operation support, towing, and ice management tasks in the Baltic Sea.
The HD HHI press statement noted: “This order is highly significant as it was secured in competition with icebreaker powerhouses such as Finland and Norway amidst growing global interest in the Arctic shipping route and the development of the Arctic Ocean, marking Korea’s first entry into the global icebreaker market.”
The success has been heralded as an important milestone by HD HHI, which has signalled its intent to enter the growing worldwide market for warships and special-purpose vessels requiring icebreaking capabilities as the Arctic’s significance as a global trade route increases.
Last year the U.S. increased its budget for icebreakers to approximately $9 billion and is partnering with Canada and Finland under the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort agreement, aka the ICE Pact.
The ICE Pact is a cooperative body formed by the three nations with a view to joint production of icebreaker vessels and shared supply chains and technologies for joint competitive advantage. It aims to build up to 90 specialist icebreakers across the next decade.
- You can read more details on the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries website