The HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. (KSOE) of the South Korean shipbuilding group HD Hyundai announced today that it has received orders from a European shipowner of the value of 2,683 billion won ($2.7 billion) for the construction of 12 dual-fuel container ships of 15,500 TEUs. The new ships, six of which will be built by the HD Hyundai shipyard Heavy Industries and six from the HD Hyundai Samho shipyard, will be able to be powered by liquefied natural gas will be delivered by mid-2028.

Today, moreover, the South Korean antitrust authority Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has announced the green light for the acquisition from KSOE shares 35.05% of the capital of the national producer of Marine Engines & Marine Equipment STX Heavy Industries Co. ( of 1 August 2023). Authorization is subject to certain conditions, the main one being the prohibition of three-year term to refuse the supply of engine parts with related restrictions on price increases and with the prohibition of delays in the delivery of these parts. In communication the FTC specifies that the acquisition could have a material impact on the supply of marine engine parts, in particular particular of crankshafts, by KM Crankshaft Co. (KMCS), a wholly owned subsidiary of STX Heavy Industries. Following the acquisition of KMCS, which entered the orbit of the HD Hyundai shipbuilding group, could in fact refuse to supplying crankshafts to competitors such as STX Engine and Hanwha Engine (the latter receives 20% of the crankshafts from KMCS whereas previously 100% of the supplies of these parts came from Doosan Energy).