South Korea: HD Hyundai becomes world's 1st shipbuilder to deliver 5,000 vessels

South Korea’s HD Hyundai has become the world’s first shipbuilder to build and deliver 5,000 ships, marking half a century since its first vessel delivery in 1974.

On November 19, 2025, the company held a ceremony in Ulsan to celebrate the milestone.

The 5,000th vessel delivered by HD Hyundai is the second offshore patrol vessel built for the Philippine Navy, the Diego Silang. Launched in March and delivered to the Philippine Navy in October, the vessel measures 118.4 meters in length, 14.9 meters in width, has a cruising speed of 15 knots (28 km/h), and a range of 4,500 nautical miles (8,330 km). HD Hyundai has secured orders for a total of ten naval vessels from the Philippines.

Starting with the 260,000-ton ultra-large crude oil tanker Atlantic Baron in 1974, HD Hyundai has delivered ships to more than 700 shipowners in 68 countries. Specifically, 2,631 ships have been delivered by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, 1,570 by HD Hyundai Mipo, and 799 by HD Hyundai Samho.

The South Korean shipbuilder has emphasized that Europe and Japan, countries with much longer shipbuilding histories