HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is entering the 13 trillion won Indian landing ship project. The company plans to design and build landing ships suitable for the Indian Navy in cooperation with Cochin Shipyard, India’s state-owned shipyard.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries announced on Nov. 11 that it recently signed a strategic cooperation memorandum of understanding  with Cochin Shipyard, India’s largest state-owned shipyard, to advance the Indian Navy Landing Platform Dock  project.

Cochin Shipyard is India’s largest shipyard located in Kerala State in southern India. It has the capability to design, build, and repair various types of vessels ranging from commercial ships to aircraft carriers. In July, HD Hyundai, the holding company of HD Hyundai Group, signed an MOU with Cochin Shipyard to pursue cooperation in various aspects including design and procurement support, productivity improvement, and human resource capacity building.

Through this MOU, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will jointly undertake the landing ship project being advanced by the Indian Navy. In particular, it will focus on strengthening competitiveness through design and technical support for landing ships. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will establish joint proposal and technology transfer systems with local partners based on its experience in naval vessel construction and technical cooperation with various countries including the Philippines and Peru. Through this, it plans to lay the foundation for entering the Indian special vessel market.

The Indian government is accelerating its military modernization plan to strengthen national defense capabilities. Recently, it unveiled TPCR 2025, which presents the military technology and capability development direction for 15 years. TPCR 2025 includes the introduction of one 65,000-ton large aircraft carrier, 10 next-generation destroyers and frigates, 7 next-generation patrol vessels, 5 military support ships, 12 mine countermeasure vessels, 4 landing ships, 100 small fast boats, 20 unmanned fast boats, and 20 unmanned reconnaissance submarines.

Among these, the landing ship project is pursuing the introduction of four 29,000-ton vessels. The industry estimates that the construction cost for the four landing ships will reach $900 million (approximately 13 trillion won).

Ju Won-ho, president of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Warship and Medium-sized Ship Business Division, said, “HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is the optimal partner for the Indian Navy modernization project,” adding, “We expect this cooperation to be an important turning point for entering the Indian naval vessel market.”

Meanwhile, HD Hyundai continues naval vessel construction cooperation with various countries including the Philippines and Peru. On Nov. 3, it signed a “Letter of Intent (LOI) for Joint Development and Construction of Peruvian Submarines” with Peru’s state-owned SIMA shipyard. In March, it delivered early the first patrol vessel, the Miguel Malvar, ordered by the Philippines.

Source:Business Korea