HD HHI Press Release translated by Naval News
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) is making a entry into the global submarine export market, leveraging its indigenously developed submarine. On October 8th, HD HHI hosted a Promotion Day event in Warsaw, Poland, under the theme “A New Era of Korea-Poland Cooperation for the Polish Navy and Shipbuilding Industry.” More than 80 key figures, including the Chairman of Poland’s National Defense Committee, the Chairman of the Energy Committee, and the leader of the Civic Coalition party (Koalicja Obywatelska), attended the event.
During this event, HD HHI, poised to secure the Polish Navy’s submarine modernization ‘ORKA’ project, presented a comprehensive solution featuring its indigenously developed 2,300-ton export submarine. The company also explored various possibilities for defense and energy cooperation with Poland.
The Promotion Day event included participation from global submarine equipment manufacturers like LIG Nex1 and the UK’s Babcock International, who showcased the key systems and solutions that would be integrated into the submarines proposed by HD HHI for Poland. Additionally, HD HHI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Remontowa Shipbuilding, a local shipyard in Gdańsk, for joint Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services. It also signed an MOU with the local energy company PGH2 for cooperation in the eco-friendly hydrogen energy sector. Furthermore, a detailed briefing was held on the Approval in Principle (AIP) and certification process for the HDS-2300 submarine, obtained from DNV (Det Norske Veritas).
HD Hyundai’s intermediate holding company, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, also attended the event, showcasing HD Hyundai’s hydrogen value chain, technological expertise in eco-friendly energy, and potential for broad collaboration with Poland in the field of clean energy.
“Through this event, we aimed to highlight HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ capabilities and strengths in the Polish market ahead of the ORKA project bid. HD HHI is fully prepared to export our submarines worldwide, including the ORKA project.”
Dr. Won-ho Joo, Head of the Special Ship Business Unit at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries
Meanwhile, competition for the ORKA project has intensified, with global submarine companies from Germany, France, Sweden, and Spain also vying for the bid. HD HHI, which attended the International Maritime Security Forum held in Warsaw last June, proposed maritime security solutions for Poland. It is the only one among the 11 global shipbuilders that submitted a letter of intent for the ORKA project to propose both a 3,000-ton submarine (KSS-III PL) and a 2,300-ton indigenously developed submarine (HDS-2300), drawing significant local interest.
