HD HHI Begins Shipbuilding Of The Philippine Navy's First Corvette

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has held a Keel Laying Ceremony for the lead ship of 3,200 ton Philippine Navy Corvette at its Ulsan Shipyard, with public officials and defence industry personnel from both the Philippines and South Korea in attendance.

The Keel Laying Ceremony is one of the main events of shipbuilding process, in which contracting parties gather to wish for successful construction and safety while placing the first block used for ship in the dry dock. The Keel Laying Ceremony means that shipbuilding process is on track.

The 3,200 ton class Corvettes to be built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for the Philippine Navy are state-of-the-art naval vessels with length of 118.4 m, width of 14.9 m, cruising speed of 15 knots (about 28 km/h), and range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,330 km). The two vessels will be equipped with anti-ship missiles and advanced weapon systems such as vertical launching system and AESA radar system. The two surface combatants are scheduled to be launched in 2024 and delivered to the Philippine Navy by 2025.

The Philippine Department of National Defense awarded HD Hyundai Heavy Industries with a total of ten naval vessels including two Frigates in 2016, two Corvettes in 2021 and six Offshore Patrol Vessels in 2022 through its Horizon One and Two Armed Forces of the Philippines Modernisation programs.

Furthermore, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries was awarded the Lifetime Support Service contract for the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of BRP Jose Rizal Class Frigates delivered to the Philippine Navy through 2020 and 2021.

Flag-Officer-in-Command of the Philippine Navy Vice Admiral Toribio Dulinayan Adaci Jr. attended the Keel Laying Ceremony to inspect the shipbuilding progress of the Corvettes and discuss cooperation measures to modernise the Philippine Navy. He also attended the Steel Cutting Ceremony for the second vessel, which was held prior to the Keel Laying Ceremony, showing the Philippine Navy’s strong expectations and determination for the successful completion of the Corvette Acquisition Program.

“I was able to witness HD Hyundai’s state-of-the-art modern facilities building high quality naval vessels. HD Hyundai has been instrumental in building naval platforms for the Philippines Navy including the already delivered BRP Jose Rizal Class Frigates, two Corvettes and six Offshore Patrol Vessels to be delivered in the near future. They are always ahead of schedule, with good quality, and on several occasions exceeded our expectations. In the warranty repairs and maintenance of FF150, they provided us with more than what was agreed upon. Beyond production of the hardware, we look forward to developing stronger partnership through services such as training, transfer of technology, upgrade of equipment in other naval assets and systems, etc. Based on vast amount of experience accumulated through delivery of ROK naval ships, HD Hyundai can provide benefit for the Philippine Navy as well.“

Vice Admiral Toribio Dulinayan Adaci Jr, Flag-Officer-in-Command of the Philippine Navy

Dr. Won-Ho Joo, Chief Operating Officer of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Naval & Special Ship Business Unit, said, “We are confident that the naval vessels built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will be successfully delivered on time to bolster the naval patrols in the vast Philippine waters.” Meanwhile, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is a pioneer of Korean naval shipbuilding industry, starting with the development of South Korea’s first indigenous Ulsan Class Frigate in 1975. The company has so far developed five Aegis Destroyers, three KDX-II Destroyers, twelve Frigates, six Corvettes, nine Submarines, and thirty-one Patrol/Rescue vessels. A total of 102 vessels have been built and delivered to navies and coast guards worldwide.