Hanwha Ocean announced on July 1 that it has been selected as the preferred bidder for the next-generation icebreaking research vessel construction project initiated by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

The next-generation icebreaking research vessel will be used by the Korea Polar Research Institute, an affiliate of the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, for polar navigation and research. After signing the main contract in July, design work will commence, with construction scheduled for completion by December 2029. With a gross tonnage of 16,560 tons, it will be more than twice the size of the Araon (7,507 tons), currently Korea’s only icebreaker. The vessel will be equipped with an LNG dual-fuel electric propulsion system and have PC (Polar Class) 3 level bi-directional icebreaking capabilities, able to break through ice 1.5 meters thick. It is designed to withstand temperatures as low as -45 degrees Celsius, enabling research and rest even in extreme conditions.

Korea built its first icebreaking research vessel, the Araon, in 2009, enabling independent research in the Arctic and Antarctic seas. However, with changes in polar environments expanding research areas and stricter environmental regulations, the need for a successor icebreaking research vessel has been consistently raised.

Hanwha Ocean has the world’s most extensive track record in building icebreaking LNG carriers. Since 2008, the company has been developing polar vessels in anticipation of Arctic route possibilities, accumulating icebreaker construction technology. It has successfully built a total of 21 icebreaking LNG carriers, including 15 in 2014 and 6 in 2020. A Hanwha Ocean official stated, “The next-generation icebreaking research vessel aims to be a completely new icebreaking research platform differentiated from the Araon,” adding, “We will concentrate Hanwha Ocean’s core competencies as a global top-tier shipyard.”

Hanwha Ocean plans to develop the icebreaker sector as one of its future growth engines, leveraging this next-generation icebreaking research vessel construction project. With Arctic sea ice melting faster than expected, the Arctic is becoming an arena for resource, logistics, and technological competition, beyond just a new sea route. Hanwha Ocean’s Product Strategy and Technology Institute recently won a national project from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to develop a world-class PC 2 class icebreaker capable of year-round operation in high Arctic latitudes.

Kim Ho-jung, executive director of Hanwha Ocean’s Special Ship Business Division, said, “We will dedicate our full efforts to this next-generation icebreaking research vessel construction project with our proven world-class icebreaking technology,” adding, “This will also clearly demonstrate Hanwha Ocean’s icebreaker construction capabilities to the United States, where demand for icebreakers is growing.”

Source:Business Korea