HANJIN HEAVY INDUSTRIES

- The Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM) awards HHIC a contract for a multipurpose very large oil spill response vessel (OSRV, 5,000-ton)… An excellence in special-purpose vessels proven



HANJIN Heavy Industries & Construction (HHIC) has proven its excellence in the construction of special-purpose ships by winning the bid to build a multipurpose very large OSRV (5,000-ton) for the KOEM.

On October 23, the multinational shipbuilder was chosen as the preferred bidder in the race to build a multipurpose very large OSRV for the KOEM. After going through the related procedures including examination and negotiation of the terms and conditions of the contract, the company signed a KRW 70.015 billion contract with the KOEM on November 5.

The 5,000-ton OSRV will be 102 meters long and 20.6 meters wide, according to HHIC. This state-of-the-art, multi-purpose emergency response vessel is designed to tow, firefight, dredge and collect marine debris in a quick and effective fashion when a marine accident occurs.

So far, about 60 small and mid-sized ORSVs (less than 500-ton) have been operated in the Republic of Korea. Because of such small size, however, it would be difficult to approach the accident site in adverse weather conditions. Therefore, there has been a request for a large ORSV.

Thanks to an aggressive demand from the related authorities including the National Assembly, a preliminary feasibility study was performed in 2017, and a government-led project was eventually approved. Then, the KOEM conducted due diligence on ORSVs in Europe and received opinions from experts. After such thorough preparations, HHIC was finally named for this project.
  
As the nation’s first multipurpose very large OSRV, it would be used in dredging, collecting sea wastes, firefighting and towing. In the event of an oil spill, this vessel will be sent right away. In particular, it is capable of handling such marine pollution safely even in adverse weather conditions (4m in wave height, 10.7m/s in wind speed). Using the 15m-long sweeping arm (a device connecting oil fence with a ship to maintain the shape of a fence), this vessel is able to quickly collect oil leaked into the sea.

The KOEM anticipates that an addition of this very large OSRV would enhance its capability to respond to marine pollution accidents under a more effective resister response system.
 
An official from HHIC said, “Based on our extensive knowhow and advanced technologies in special-purpose vessels such as icebreakers and survey vessels, we are going to build the nation’s first multipurpose very large OSRV perfectly and make a contribution to enhancing the nation’s oil spill response capability.”

The global shipbuilder plans to build this multipurpose very large OSRV at its Yeongdo shipyard and deliver it to the KOEM in 2022.