HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Creates On-Site 3D Printing System for Cargo Ship Maintenance

Cargo ships are one of the most widely used means of transporting goods in the world. In 2024, globally, about 901.2 million ships plied the maritime trade routes and it is estimated that by the end of 2028 this number will reach 928.1 million. The undisputed queen of maritime trade is Asia: 56 percent of the world’s traffic leaves from there. Furthermore, since this means of transportation involves long routes on a daily basis, the maintenance of these massive ships is crucial to ensure both the arrival of goods and the avoidance of serious accidents. Every year we witness how the sinking of these ships not only causes huge economic losses, but also irreparably pollutes our seas and promotes the deaths of hundreds of marine species.

Thankfully, a solution to allow container ships to be constantly maintained comes from Korea. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries announced that it has developed a new 3D printing technology that would allow ships to be able to perform maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) on-site, independently, and while the vessel is in operation. The project that involved the creation of this new system is called the 3D Printing Digital Workshop. The demonstration of this new 3D printing system was successfully evaluated and demonstrated at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in the city of Mokpo, aboard Hyundai Merchant Marine’s (HMM) 9000 TEU-class container ship “HMM Green Hope.”

The 3D Printing Digital Workshop (photo credits:: HD Hyundai)

The 3D Printing Digital Workshop comes as a result of a project supported by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The ministry expects the project to be completed by this December. To bring the 3D Printing Digital Workshop to life, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries participated in a consortium that includes companies HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Ulsan Metropolitan City, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), CSCAM and Korean Register.