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HANJIN Heavy Industries & Construction (HHIC)’s Yeongdo Shipyard shows a good sign of rebounding
- Yeongdo Shipyard holds a groundbreaking ceremony for 180,000TEU bulk carriers… resumes the production of merchant ships in three (3) years
HHIC’s Yeongdo Shipyard normalized its operation by resuming the production of merchant ships.
On July 1, the shipbuilding company announced that it held a steel cutting ceremony (‘steel cutting’: the first step for block production in a shipyard) for 180,000TEU bulk carriers which were ordered by a Turkish shipping company.
This event was held with the attendance of about 200 people including Seo Byung-soo (the next Mayor of Busan), Vasilis Papakalodoukas (President of CINER in Turkey), Lloyd's Register's Korea Chief Representative Lee Soo-young, Choi Sung-moon (CEO and President of HHIC), employees of HHIC and employees of HHIC’s vendors.
Following the ritual ceremony for safety, a steel-cutting ceremony was held. In particular, all attendants proclaimed ‘Business Normalization, Safety, High Quality and Delivery on Time’ at the end of the event. They resolved to overcome obstacles and create a new future through continued collaboration.
Seo Byung-soo, the next Mayor of Busan, said, “Our first priority is to create jobs, second priority is job creation, and third priority is to create jobs as well.” He added, “Once HHIC returns back to normal, local shipbuilding industry would rebound as well. As a result, jobs will be created, boosting local economy.”
Choi Sung-moon, CEO and President of HHIC, addressed, “The real challenge begins now.” He continued, “We have been active in sales activities to acquire more orders. We are going to make their best efforts to normalize our business and respond to all our supporters and clients.”
There has been inspection on production facilities, and various facilities have been installed for block production. All these processes have made employees highly motivated.
A production worker Kim (44) said, “We are finally here to hold a groundbreaking ceremony in three years. It’s a very touching moment. It’s likely that we are going to our former coworkers soon. We are fully ready to get down to business.”
Jang Chang-geun, a production division manager, remarked, “Last year, we won several huge bids so that why we were able to focus on our work. Today, production is finally resumed.” He added, “We are going to keep working hard to get Yeongdo Shipyard back to normal soon, focusing on safety, quality and lead time.”
Recently, HHIC-Phil’s Subic Shipyard has grown sharply. It even entered the world's top 10 for the first time in five (5) years last month. As a result, Yeongdo Shipyard would be boosted to normalize its operation.
The labor union has also sent a letter to shipping companies in person since 2012 to help the company win bids. They also contacted regional commercial authorities and asked for help to make the company get on track.
Thanks to these efforts, Yeongdo Shipyard has booked advance orders for production until 2016. It aims to regain its glory as the Mecca of the Korean shipbuilding industry, concentrating on mid-size merchant ships, high-tech & high-value ships and special-purpose vessels.
HHIC targets to leap into a global leader based on the world’s most efficient two-track system which means that Subic Shipyard specializes in the production of large vessels and offshore plants while Yeongdo Dockyard focuses on mid-size and special-purpose vessels.
Meanwhile, the employees of HHIC raised funds and donated a watermelon to 1,000 low-income households as a token of their appreciation to the locals who have given them great support and encouragement.
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