First newbuilding started at Hyundai Gunsan

The new Hyundai Heavy Industries? shipyard in Gunsan is starting operations this month. Located in the Jeolla Province in South Korea, the Gunsan shipyard recently held a keel laying ceremony for its first ship, a 180,000 DWT bulker ordered by Nord Capital of Germany. Delivery of the newbuilding is scheduled for February 2010.

The shipyard?s facilities have yet to be completed and when works on the dock and the installation of a Goliath crane are completed in May, the Gunsan shipyard will have the longest building dock in the world, measuring 700 metres by 115 metres. It will also have the world?s largest Goliath crane from a 1,600-tonne class and will have a 690 metre by 250 metre basin able to accommodate six vessels at any one time.

The shipyard has secured a backlog of 33 vessels which will keep it busy until 2011.