STX wins order for naval trials vessel

STX Offshore & Shipbuilding (STX O&S) of South Korea has received an order for a next generation naval trials ship from Agency for Defence Development (ADD) at a cost of KRW 43bn ($33.8m). A naval trials ship supports marine weapon system tests and conducts environmental surveys on the test sea area. The 1,200-ton vessel is scheduled for delivery in May 2012.

STX O&S has been strengthening its specialized vessel division since 2005. An official at STX O&S Specialized Ship Division said, “We achieved an excellent result through diversified analysis of customer demands and strategic sales activities amid severe orders drought. We intend to further strengthen our specialized vessel construction capabilities going forward through technical tie-up with STX Europe. Many newbuilding inquiries are coming in from abroad in the defence industry sector.”

Last month STX Group has, through its subsidiary STX France Cruise, secured an order to build a third Projection and Command Vessel (BPC), a 21,000-ton helicopter carrier, for the French Navy.