Hanwha Ocean Plans to develop green technology and naval ships
Hanwha Ocean has recently intensified its endeavors in eco-friendly shipbuilding and offshore engineering, alongside advancements in technology within the global maritime defense market, the company announced on Monday, according to The Korea Times.
With the aim of becoming a global ocean solutions provider, the shipbuilder has automated its shipyard on Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang Province, while developing various eco-friendly products and technologies in response to tightening global environmental regulations.
It also plans to enter the global offshore wind power market and provide total offshore wind services for a sustainable future, based on Hanwha Group’s capabilities in the energy industry.
Hanwha Ocean said its R&D center in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, has enabled it to advance technologically, as the facility is equipped with an advanced acoustic water tank, the world’s largest towing tank and a cavitation tunnel with cutting-edge automated systems.
As a naval ship powerhouse with over 40 years of experience in submarine construction, the Hanwha Group subsidiary has also tried to revolutionize the global maritime defense market by surpassing its rivals in technology.
In 2011, when it was known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, the shipbuilder exported three domestically developed submarines to the Indonesian Navy, making Korea the world’s fifth country to export submarines.
After its delivery of a 3,600-ton KSS-III submarine to the Republic of Korea Navy in 2021, Hanwha Ocean caught the attention of Poland, Canada and Middle Eastern countries, as the submarine is equipped with advanced combat management systems and sonar, which ensures full interoperability with allied forces, and with automated systems, which allow its operation with only a crew of 33, thus providing improved habitability.
Hanwha Ocean said that the KSS-III submarines also use lithium-ion batteries, which can dramatically improve performance and double underwater endurance compared to conventional lead-acid batteries, which require frequent snorkeling (a technique used to allow a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from the surface) and thus limit a submarine’s tactical capabilities.
The company has also been expanding its presence in the surface combatant market, since it started building warships for the ROK Navy in the early 1980s.
Based on its extensive experience in designing and building surface vessels for the ROK Navy, Hanwha Ocean successfully delivered surface combatants to Bangladesh and Thailand, and a training ship to Malaysia.
In addition, the shipbuilder has demonstrated its technological competitiveness in the global market by delivering high-end logistic support vessels to the U.K. and Norway that comply with NATO standards.
For the ROK Navy’s next-generation frigate program, the shipbuilder delivered four FFX-Batch-II frigates, featuring a combined diesel-electric and gas propulsion system to increase survivability.
It is also engaged in developing more advanced FFX-Batch-III frigates, equipped with Hanwha Systems’ latest S-band AESA radar and combat management system. The company plans to deliver two FFX-Batch-III frigates to the ROK Navy by 2028.
Aligned with the ROK Navy’s Navy Sea GHOST vision for unmanned naval operations, Hanwha Ocean is also pioneering the development of innovative unmanned underwater vessels.
The company explained that this initiative is a collaborative effort with the ROK Navy and the Agency for Defense Development, underscoring Hanwha Ocean’s commitment to reshaping the future of naval warfare and defense technologies.
