HD현대중공업, 페루서 상륙지원함 진수식…해외 첫 공동 건조

On December 18th, Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD) witnessed the commissioning ceremony of the first of two new landing craft assault ships, 'Cumbot', for the Peruvian Navy at the Peruvian shipyard in Shimizu. This marks the first joint dry docking achievement for HD in international waters. The 'Cumbot', along with another ship, is part of the four vessels HD signed a contract to supply to the Peruvian Navy in April 2024.

These two ships commenced joint dry docking in Peru simultaneously. Currently, the second vessel, 'Talara', has completed all ground docking processes. Named after Peruvian cities, 'Cumbot' and 'Talara' are multipurpose landing craft assault ships capable of transporting personnel, supplies, and equipment, as well as disaster and disaster response missions.

At the commissioning ceremony were President of Peru Keiko Fujimori, Peru Navy Commander-in-Chief Federico Haber, and Chief of Mission South Korea, Chief of Staff of the Peruvian Navy, and President of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Fujimori stated during the ceremony, "We are not merely building a single vessel; we are building future capabilities.

This project also contributes to job creation, human resource development, and expansion of the shipbuilding supply chain." The joint dry docking involved HD providing design and technical support, while Shimizu utilized local production facilities for block production, assembly, superstructure, and testing. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries declared that their export concept has shifted from "landed dry and delivered as a finished product" to "technical cooperation leading to local joint production," turning the shipbuilding business into an engineering venture.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries hailed this as the "new export model for K-Vessels." Chief of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, Kwon Dae-won, commented, "The completion of 'Cumbot' signifies a team effort between the domestic and foreign sides, elevating the competitiveness of K-Vessels and expanding the export market." Current work for HD includes the design of South Korea's next-generation submarine with a displacement of 1500 tons, which will commence after completion, leading to the dry docking phase with close cooperation with the Peruvian government.