Korea News

For Major General Jason Kelly, Rebuilding and Maintaining the Nation’s Critical Waterway Infrastructure is personal.When Major General Jason Kelly reflects on his path to leading the United States Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Civil Works mission, he doesn’t describe a straight line. He describes a journey, one that began “on the business end of the Army,” as he puts it, and evolved into a passion for solving complex problems that impact every American who depends on safe, reliable…

GTT has secured an order from HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for the tank design of a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier.The LNG carrier will be built by the shipyard Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI) on behalf of the ship-owner Hyundai Glovis.With a total capacity of 174,000 m3, the vessel’s cryogenic tanks will be fitted with the Mark III Flex membrane containment system, a technology developed by GTT.Delivery of the vessel is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2028.

On December 8, Techcross received cyber security type approval from ABS and NK, becoming the first company in the industry to obtain cyber security type approvals from five major global classification societies.Both of Techcross's Ballast Water Management Systems (BWMS), ECS and HYCHLOR, meet the international cyber security standard IACS UR E27. Based on this compliance, the systems had previously secured cyber security type approvals from KR (Korea), BV (France), and CCS (China)…

HD Hyundai has signed a strategic partnership with the Tamil Nadu state government regarding the establishment of a new shipyard in India.The Indian government is strategically pursuing the "Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047" to become one of the world's top five shipbuilding and shipping nations. To achieve this goal, the government is actively reviewing the expansion of existing shipyards and the establishment of new facilities.The Indian government has shortlisted five states—including Tamil Nadu…

China's trade surplus topped $1 trillion for the first time as manufacturers seeking to avoid President Donald Trump's tariffs shipped more to non-U.S. markets in November, with exports to Europe, Australia and Southeast Asia surging.Shipments to the United States dropped by close to one-third from the same month a year before."The tariff cuts agreed under the U.S.-China trade truce didn't help to lift shipments to the U.S. last month, but overall export growth rebounded nonetheless," said Zichun Huang, China economist at Capital Economics.

Hanwha Ocean has delivered the Wind Mover wind turbine installation vessel (WTIV) to offshore wind contractor Cadeler, completing the second vessel in the company’s M-class series about one month ahead of schedule.The vessel was formally signed over on November 28 and sailed away on December 2, following a naming ceremony at Hanwha Ocean’s shipyard in Korea.Wind Mover is the second of two WTIVs ordered by Cadeler in 2021, with the first vessel, Wind Maker, delivered in January 2025.

GTT announces that it has received, in the fourth quarter of 2025, an order from HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) for the tank design of two new liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.The LNG carriers will be built by the shipyard Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries (HSHI), on behalf of the ship-owner BW LNG.The vessels’ cryogenic tanks will be fitted with the Mark III Flex membrane containment system, a technology developed by GTT.Delivery of the vessels is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2028.

On December 3, a joint venture company comprising NYK, Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, MISC, and China LNG Shipping (Holdings) Limited held a naming ceremony for two new 174,000cbm LNG carriers for QatarEnergy.The ceremony was held at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in South Korea. One vessel was named “Sharq” after an area east of Doha, Qatar’s capital, while the other was dubbed “Shra’ouh” after a Qatari island.The two vessels will be the seventh and eighth of 12 new LNG carriers ordered by the joint venture company for QatarEnergy, the world’s largest LNG providers.

The IMO Assembly has elected the following Member States to serve on three categories of the IMO Council.The UK successfully campaigned to keep Russia off the Council by working closely with international partners and lobbying other Assembly Members. This underscores the international community’s unified and resolute stance against Russia’s continued violations of international law, including at sea, said the UK Department of Transport in a statement.Category (a): 10 States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services: China…

Wind propulsion company bound4blue has expanded its industrial footprint in Asia with the establishment of new production capabilities in China, alongside the signing of strategic regional partnerships to accelerate adoption of its proven eSAIL® suction sail technology.This allows bound4blue to manufacture near the yards where their systems will be integrated, both for newbuildings and for vessels calling in Asia for retrofit.Production in China will be handled through a network of outsourced industrial partners with strong naval and offshore manufacturing capabilities.

Poland said on Wednesday it had chosen Sweden's Saab to supply it with three submarines, in a multi-billion-dollar deal that forms a key element of Warsaw's efforts to bolster its defences in the Baltic Sea.Warsaw has been ramping up investments in the armed forces to counter what it sees as a growing threat from Russia after Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.The deal with Sweden under the "Orka" programme to boost Poland's military exemplifies Warsaw's efforts to build a Baltic alliance…

Maritime transport carries close to 90 percent of global trade by volume, and container ports alone handle more than 80 percent of non-bulk merchandise. Today, these ports are undergoing a profound transformation, driven by rising trade flows, rapid advances in technology, and mounting pressure to meet climate targets.Against this backdrop, DNV and Menon Economics have introduced the industry’s first global container port ranking. The LCP report benchmarks 160 ports against 35 indicators grouped into five pillars: enablers…

Inchcape Shipping Services, a leader in port agency and maritime services, has announced the opening of its new office in Geoje, Korea. This expansion increases Inchcape’s footprint in South Korea to three offices—Seoul, Busan, and now Geoje, covering 23 ports nationwide.Geoje is a strategic hub for global shipbuilding and offshore projects, playing a critical role in the construction of LNG carriers, container vessels, naval ships, and offshore platforms. The city is central to international shipping and energy sectors…

Alfa Laval Korea Ltd. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Hanwha Ocean Ecotech, marking a step toward strengthening cooperation in developing safe and reliable ammonia fuel system solutions for dual-fuel vessels.The MOU will leverage Alfa Laval’s technical expertise in ammonia fuel systems with Hanwha Ocean Ecotech’s capabilities in marine technology. The joint approach aims to secure early market opportunities and build competitive advantage in the rapidly-growing…

“We estimate that coal shipments to advanced economies will fall 2% y/y in 2025, reaching a 23-year low. This will be the third consecutive annual drop although the pace of decline has slowed compared to previous years. The contraction is primarily driven by weaker coking coal demand due to reduced steel production,” says Filipe Gouveia, Shipping Analysis Manager at BIMCO.Between January and October, global steel production fell 2.1% y/y according to the World Steel Association.

Two cargo vessels were headed for grain port terminals near New Orleans on Monday to load with the first U.S. soybean shipments to China since May, according to a shipping schedule seen by Reuters.A third vessel was en route to a Texas Gulf Coast grain terminal to be loaded with China-bound U.S. sorghum in the coming days in what will be the first American shipment of the feed grain to China since mid-March, the shipping schedule showed.U.S. farmers and grain traders have been awaiting shipments to China to resume after Beijing shunned U.S.

Officer Lee Tae Young, a first mate from the Republic of Korea, has been awarded the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea, in recognition of his heroic actions that saved 12 fellow crew members from the Geum Seong No. 135 when it sunk in November 2024. He was honored during a special ceremony recognizing seafarers held in London on November 24, 2025, in the margins of the IMO Assembly taking place from November 24 to December 3, 2025. IMO Secretary-General Mr. Arsenio Dominguez applauded Mr.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai's shipbuilding business, has signed a shipbuilding contract with HMM for eight 13,400-TEU dual-fuel container ships.The vessels ordered are 337 meters in length, 51 meters in width, and 27.9 meters in height.They will be equipped with LNG dual-fuel engines and a significantly enlarged fuel tank, expanded by approximately 50%, to enhance operational efficiency.Of the eight vessels…

Chinese cruise operators are scrambling to avoid Japanese ports as Beijing and Tokyo engage in a diplomatic dispute, which is expected to spur demand for tourism in South Korea, according to sources and cruise schedules reviewed by Reuters.Tour and port agents said tensions, sparked by recent remarks from Japan's new prime minister, could cause Chinese tourists to be redirected to South Korea from Japan. Earlier this month, Sanae Takaichi told Japanese lawmakers that a Chinese attack on Taiwan threatening Japan's survival could trigger a military response.Adora Magic City…

Consilium Safety Group and Hyundai Heavy Industries have signed an agreement to explore the use of AI-powered cameras in certified fire alarm systems on ships.The memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the companies centers on Hyundai’s HiCAMS technology, which uses cameras to identify smoke and flames.While camera-based detection is emerging in other industries, this initiative is among the first to target marine applications directly.A pilot test is already underway on the test vessel Sawasdee Sunrise in Korea…

U.S. natural gas futures eased about 1% on Thursday on near-record output and ample amounts of gas in storage despite near-historic flows to liquefied natural gas (LNG) export plants and forecasts for colder weather and higher demand over the next two weeks than previously expected.The price decline also came despite a federal storage report that showed energy firms pulled gas out of storage for the first time this winter during last week's cold weather.Front-month gas futures for December delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell 3.7 cents…

U.S. natural gas futures climbed about 4% on Wednesday on near-record flows to liquefied natural gas export plants and forecasts for higher demand than previously expected as the weather turns colder than normal going into December.Front-month gas futures for December delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange rose 17.9 cents, or 4.1%, to settle at $4.550 per million British thermal units (mmBtu).LSEG said average gas output in the Lower 48 states rose to 109.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) so far in November…

All 267 people on board a South Korean passenger ferry that ran aground off the southwestern tip of the Korean peninsula on Wednesday were rescued, in an incident that revived memories of the major ferry disaster in 2014 in which 300 people died.Passengers and crew were taken from the stricken vessel, the Coast Guard said in a statement, and 27 sustained minor injuries.Most will be transported to the coastal city of Mokpo while 21 crew members will remain on the ship.South Korea's coast guard launched an investigation on Thursday into the incident…