Hanwha Ocean emerges as key player for US icebreaker market

Hanwha Ocean is emerging as a leading contender for upcoming icebreaking liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier contracts from the United States, as the country ramps up efforts to expand its Arctic presence through large-scale construction of icebreakers. The Hanwha affiliate is well positioned to secure possible orders from the U.S., as the company has built more of the specialized vessels than any other shipbuilder. Hanwha Ocean has so far constructed 21 icebreaking LNG carriers — 15 in 2014 and six in 2020. The U.S. has been accelerating efforts to bolster its icebreaker fleet, which lags significantly behind that of Russia. According to a recent report published by the Federation of Korean Industries, the U.S. has had minimal icebreaker construction experience over the past 50 years, while Russia currently operates more than 50 icebreakers. U.S. President Donald Trump also said the country would seek to order approximately 40 large icebreakers for the country’s Coast Guard. Icebreaking LNG carriers are considered value-added vessels, costing about 1.6 times more than typical LNG carWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times