HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering is leading the eco-friendly vessel market, backed by its proven low-noise shipbuilding capabilities.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering announced that, together with its subsidiaries HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Hyundai Samho, it has become the world’s first to obtain an Underwater Radiated Noise (URN) certification for a large containership from the Korean Register (KR).

The certified technologies were implemented on an HMM 9,000-TEU container ship built at HD Hyundai Samho, and their performance was verified through full-scale onboard measurements under actual operating conditions.

Underwater radiated noise refers to noise generated during a ship’s operation and transmitted through the water, and it has been cited as a potential cause of disruption to the marine ecosystems International bodies such as the IMO (International Maritime Organization) have recently intensified discussions to strengthen regulations and guidelines aimed at reducing underwater noise. As a result, the importance of full-scale, measurement-based evaluation is growing beyond assessments based solely on calculations or analytical methods.

This validation is particularly significant as it is the world’s first to secure performance that meets class society guidelines for underwater radiated noise, even for traditionally high-noise vessel types, including large container ships. Large container ships have long been classified as high-noise vessels compared to other ship types due to their high-power propulsion systems and large hull structures. Moreover, the technical complexity and cost of such research have limited the availability of full-scale measurement data and class certification cases, creating a high technological barrier to obtaining low-noise certification for this vessel type.

Photo caption. A large containership build by HD Hyundai Samho and delivered to HMM

Through this certification, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering has objectively validated its capabilities in managing underwater radiated noise based on its low-noise shipbuilding technologies, and has demonstrated that stable low-noise operation is achievable even in actual commercial operating conditions. In addition, HMM will be able to further strengthen its standing and competitiveness as an eco-friendly shipping company that helps protect marine ecosystems in the global shipping market, where environmental regulations are becoming increasingly stringent.

An official at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering said, “This certification marks another milestone in which HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering’s eco-friendly technologies have been recognized by the market,” adding, “We will continue to advance our low-noise shipbuilding technologies as well as our underwater noise measurement and evaluation capabilities, and move forward as a leading company that sets technical standards in the market.”

Meanwhile, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering is committed to developing high value-added, eco-friendly vessels that utilize a range of energy sources—including ammonia, hydrogen, and SMRs—to reduce carbon emissions.
Source: HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering