Astonishing build time for launched LPG tanker
Keel laid in April, launched in July



Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (HHI) recently launched an 82,000㎥ LPG carrier for Norwegian company Bergesen. (Now styled BW Gas)

This is the first LPG carrier built on the ground at HHI, rather than what is the more conventional method these days, in a dry dock. HHI has so far completed 16 crude oil carriers using the on-ground shipbuilding method since June, 2004.

The speed of construction has been quite astonishing. Regular readers will recall that in April we carried the news of this vessel's keel-laying.

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 has eight LPG carriers in its orderbook for Bergesen in Norway, CMM in Greece, QSC in Qatar, and SK Shipping in South Korea. The ships were ordered with the understanding that they would be built on the ground. There are 30 additional ships that will be built on the ground for Germany, Russia, and India.

HHI is planning to increase the annual capacity of on-ground shipbuilding from eight ships to 16 by November, 2007

Although HHI claim it is to do with speed, earlier it was cited that they were running out of berths in their drydocks. The photo shows the ship on a barge where final fitting out will take place. This innovative system allows HHI to construct new ships even when their dry docks are already at full capacity.