HD KSOE, Samsung Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean recorded operating rates of 100% or more in H1 2026 while increasing investment in automation and shipyard facilities.
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering has signed an MOU with Fraser Industries to provide smart shipyard systems and modernization consulting for Fraser Shipyards in the United States.
China Merchants Qingdao Shipyard plans a $147 million smart workshop and Rushan base equipment expansion to raise shipbuilding capacity.
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering plans to sell integrated shipyard construction solutions and digital platforms for smart yards, while Hanwha Ocean and Samsung Heavy Industries also expand into new business areas.
Siemens will build an integrated digital platform for HD KSOE to connect design-to-production workflows, supporting HD Hyundai’s “Future of Shipyard” program targeted for completion by 2030.
Korean shipbuilders are expanding AI-driven automation as welding robots and automated production lift productivity and shift workers toward monitoring and process control roles.
