Last month, the second Philippine patrol vessel, the ‘Diego Silang,’ was delivered at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan. The 118-meter-long state-of-the-art warship is the 5,000th vessel delivered by HD Hyundai since it built its first ship in 1974. This marks the first time in global shipbuilding history that a single company has delivered 5,000 ships. Even Europe and Japan, which have much older shipbuilding histories than ours, have not achieved this record.

To commemorate this milestone, HD Hyundai held a ‘5,000 Ships Delivery Commemorative Ceremony’ on the 19th at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan. In attendance were HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun, Park Dong-il, Director General of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Ahn Byung-gil, President of the Korea Ocean Business Corporation, among others. Since delivering the 260,000-ton-class supertanker ‘Atlantic Baron’ in 1974, HD Hyundai has delivered ships to over 700 shipowners in 68 countries. The breakdown includes 2,631 ships from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, 1,570 from HD Hyundai Mipo, and 799 from HD Hyundai Samho.

If the 5,000 ships were lined up in a single row, their total length would reach 1,250 kilometers—longer than the straight-line distance from Seoul to Tokyo, 1,150 kilometers. Chairman Chung stated, “The 5,000 ships represent the pride of South Korea’s shipbuilding industry and a history of challenges that have transformed the paradigm of the global maritime industry.”

The Miracle Begun with a 500-Won Bill

The origins of South Korea’s shipbuilding industry date back to 1972. The late Honorary Chairman Chung Ju-yung of Hyundai Group pursued the construction of a shipyard in Ulsan’s Mipo Bay. At the time, South Korea’s annual shipbuilding capacity was 500,000 GT (gross tons), accounting for less than 1% of the global market share, with the largest vessel being 17,000 tons. The shipyard project was considered a “reckless gamble.” Japan remarked at the time, “Given South Korea’s economic scale, the ability to build 50,000-ton-class ships would be sufficient,” adding, “Even if a shipyard were built, the lack of technology would make it impossible to construct large vessels.”

However, Honorary Chairman Chung traveled the world with a photograph of the sandy beach at Ulsan’s Mipo Bay and blueprints of British shipyards. While persuading the Bank of England to secure loans, he even showed the ironclad turtle ship on the 500-won bill, arguing, “South Korea built ironclad ships over 400 years ago.”

Construction of the shipyard began in 1972, and by June 1974, both the shipyard’s completion and the delivery of the first vessel were achieved simultaneously. This marked the first time in global shipbuilding history that a shipyard’s construction and shipbuilding occurred concurrently. At the time, President Park Chung-hee and his wife attended the event, stating, “Today’s naming ceremony is a declaration of the development of heavy and chemical industries and a symbol of our nation’s leaping national power.” The first ship was named the ‘Atlantic Baron, Baron of the Atlantic,’ and the second, the ‘Atlantic Baroness, Lady of the Atlantic.’

From Commercial Ships to Warships: From Fast Follower to First Mover

Over half a century, South Korea’s shipbuilding industry has achieved qualitative changes beyond quantitative growth. From being a ‘fast follower’ focused on commercial ships like early oil tankers and bulk carriers, it has now established itself as a ‘first mover’ leading the market. The fact that the 5,000th ship is a state-of-the-art warship, not a commercial vessel, symbolically illustrates this shift. The Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation project, MASGA, MASGA, is also gaining momentum.

In 1975, HD Hyundai began developing the Ulsan-class, South Korea’s first domestically produced combat vessel. This was an ambitious challenge to secure warship technology simultaneously with shipyard construction. The lead ship, Ulsan, was launched in April 1980 and delivered to the Navy in 1981. This achievement was remarkable given the lack of prior experience in designing and building 2,000-ton-class warships at the time.

In the 2000s, the industry led the market for technology-intensive vessels such as ultra-large container ships and high-performance drillships. It has maintained global leadership in high-value-added ships like LNG carriers and container ships. Recently, it has also taken the lead in developing future technologies, including eco-friendly vessels and autonomous navigation systems.

According to industry sources, HD Hyundai is expected to solidify its position as the world’s top shipbuilder, as ranked by Clarksons Research, this year. Last year, HD Hyundai’s three shipbuilding affiliates delivered a total of 144 ships, including container ships and LNG carriers. Chairman Chung stated, “Based on our shared history of challenges, we will move toward the next 5,000 ships and another half-century.” To commemorate the occasion, HD Hyundai provided 300,000 Korean won gift certificates to employees of its shipbuilding affiliates and workers at partner companies.
Source: The Chosun Daily