Hanjin Heavy completes two ships in Subic facility

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine unit of Korea’s Hanjin Heavy Industries recently constructed two new vessels inside its Subic Bay shipyard last week. Considered as the third and fourth locally-built container carriers, the new ships were launched from the company’s dry dock no. 5 last December 4. The ships, named Opal and Topaz, will be delivered to Dioryx Maritime Corp., a Greek shipping company that has ordered the first six vessels from Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co.-Philippines (HHIC-Philippines). Worth $60 million apiece, each vessel can carry 4,300 twenty-foot metal containers. The company has finished “building these two 4,300-TEU container vessels within six-and-a-half months without compromising required high quality, starting from their keel laying works done last May 15, 2008," Pyeong Jong Yu, HHIC Philippines deputy managing director, said. Construction of these vessels was enabled through “up-to-date technology, state-of–the-art equipment, weather-proof dock shelter, and the hard work of its employees," Yu added. Currently, the shipyard employs more than 15,000 workers at its facility in Subic’s Redondo Peninsula. Earlier, HHIC completed two other locally-built container ships. The first was launched in July and the other in August. - GMANews.TV