Ulstein Verft has floated the lead SX222 CSOV for JP Morgan Asset Management, using Polish-built hulls and motion-compensated access systems, with both units due for delivery within this year.
HJ Heavy Industries has completed a U.S. Navy Port Assessment at its Busan Yeongdo shipyard, finishing the final review step for an MSRA and positioning the yard for U.S. Navy MRO bids.
Hanwha Ocean has confirmed a worker fatality at its Geoje shipyard PAS Plant on 8 January. The employee was found unresponsive in a rest area, and police and other authorities are investigating.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has completed its first U.S. Navy MRO project on USNS Alan Shepard and will begin work on Cesar Chavez from the 19th this month, strengthening its role in Navy ship maintenance.
Korea’s big three shipbuilders are expected to secure $46.4 billion in 2026 orders and generate combined operating profit of 10.124 trillion won, driven by strong LNG carrier demand and Korea’s dominant market share.
Japan is committing ¥350 billion over 10 years to revitalise shipbuilding, aiming for 18m GT capacity and a 20% global share by 2035 through state funding, coordinated industry support and US cooperation.
South Korea’s plan to build a shared AI autonomous navigation system with Hanwha Ocean, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering and Samsung Heavy Industries is meeting resistance as shipyards seek to protect proprietary technology.
Korean shipbuilders are expanding AI-driven automation as welding robots and automated production lift productivity and shift workers toward monitoring and process control roles.
Daesun Shipbuilding completed the sale of its Yeongdo yard in Busan to Hanla IMS on 26 December 2025 for KRW 107.2 billion, consolidating operations at Dadaepo.
