Seoul: South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries has launched an 82,000m^3 lpg carrier for Norwegian Bergesen, constructed using the on-ground shipbuilding method. Although HHI has been using the shipbuilding method since mid-2004 and has successfully built 16 crude oil carriers, this is the first lpg carrier to be built without use of a dry dock.
In a statement, the company said, "The move to on-ground shipbuilding is a significant one for HHI. This new method, compared to the more traditional method of building a ship in a dry dock, cuts down on the number of steel blocks needed from 80 to 35, improving the production efficiency and reducing the time needed for assembly. The company is able to assemble freight tanks 1,460 tons at a time."
HHI expects to deliver the vessel to the Norwegian energy carrier by November this year. The yard currently has eight LPG carriers on its order for Bergesen (Norway), CMM (Greece), QSC (Qatar), and SK Shipping (South Korea). The ships were ordered with the understanding that they would be built on the ground. The company will also build 30 additional non-lpg vessels on the ground for Germany, Russia, and India.
HHI plans to increase the annual capacity of on-ground shipbuilding from eight ships to 16 by November. [26/07/07]
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