South Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction-Philippines Inc. (HHIC-Phil) on Jan 25 unveiled one of the biggest ships ever built in the world, the CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupery.
The 20,600 twenty-equivalent unit (TEU) vessel built in Subic, has an overall length of 400 meters, a width of 59 meters, depth of 33 meters and gross tonnage tipping at 217,673 tons.
With a deck as big as three football fields combined, the CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupery is considered one of the biggest ships in the world today, HHIC-Phil officials said during the completion ceremony held at the firm’s Redondo Peninsula shipyard.
The container vessel, named after the French aristocrat and literary icon Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, was built over a year and a half, starting February 8, 2016.
The CMA CGM Antoine de Saint Exupery is the first of three 20,600-TEU ultra large container ships HHIC-Phil has committed to build for the French shipping firm CMA CGM. Two other vessels of the same size and type are in advance stages of shipbuilding at Hanjin’s 326-hectare Subic shipyard.
The vessel completion ceremony was graced by among others, former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, under whose administration Hanjin shipyard was launched; Senator Richard Gordon; Zambales Governor Amor Deloso; Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda; and Zambales 1st District Representative Jeffrey Khonghun.
The delivery of the Antoine de Saint Exupery “represents a breakthrough in global shipbuilding,” according to HHIC-Phil President Gwang Suk Chung, as the Korean company’s cutting-edge technology complemented by the skills of Filipino workers successfully launched vessels of higher tonnage and value.
Chung said “the intensive support of the Philippine government” gave the Korean a robust head start in the country’s shipbuilding industry.
“Indeed, the daunting task of building such a huge vessel brought out the best in HHIC-Phil., Inc. in terms of technology and innovation. Under the technical supervision of classification society Bureau Veritas, HHIC-Phil., Inc. successfully carried out the construction of the vessel and the ship was launched in August 2017, and it successfully underwent sea trials in December 2017 to the full satisfaction of its proud owner,” Chung said.
HHIC-Phil officials said the firm still has a number of high-value commercial vessels on order with their launchings and deliveries spread across 2018 and 2019. These include liquefied petroleum gas carriers and crude-oil carriers, among others. In January last year, the HHIC-Phil marked another milestone with the delivery of Gener8 Hector, the first “very large crude carrier” ever constructed in the Philippines. The vessel was delivered to the United States-based crude-oil shipping company Gener8 Maritime.
In her speech, Arroyo cited the $2.3-billion investment by HHIC-Phil in the Subic Bay Freeport. She noted that the Korean firm had also built a massive training facility for local workers.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) chair Atty Wilma T. Eisma thanked HHIC-Phil on behalf of President Rodrigo Duterte, pointing out that the Hanjin shipyard had played a vital role in national economic growth.
“With the 113 ships that Hanjin has delivered since it began operations in 2007, Hanjin’s presence in the Subic Bay Freeport has made the Philippines the fourth-biggest shipbuilding nation in the world,” she said.
Eisma also urged the Korean firm to look after its Filipino workers, who are an integral part of the success of the company. “We ask you to protect our people, to look after our facilities, because Subic is our home,” she added.
Duterte described the ship as a “gigantic and technologically superior vessel,” in a speech read for him by SBMA’s Eisma during the launching ceremony.
Duterte said the launch of the vessel underscored Hanjin’s “vital role in our country’s maritime industry.”
“So I expect HHIC-Phil to remain a pillar and partner in the growth of the Philippine maritime industry, especially now that our country is experiencing robust economic growth,” said Duterte, who was in India last week to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-India Special Commemorative Summit and India’s Republic Day celebration.
