DNV awards AiP to HHI for new offshore patrol vessel design

DNV, the world’s leading classification society, has awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) for a new 1,500-ton offshore patrol vessel (OPV) design. The AiP certificate was recently handed over to the Korean shipyard during the International Maritime Defense Industry Exhibition (MADEX 2021) in Busan.

The HDP-1500Neo is a 1,500-ton class OPV developed by HHI to target the overseas ship market. The navy vessel is about 80 meters long, 13 meters wide, and has a range of about 5,500 nautical miles, allowing long-range operations.

The AiP award confirms the maturity of the ship’s design and is based on the DNV Rules for Classification of Naval Vessels RU-NAV / RU-NAVAL with the reference class notation + 1A N, Patrol (L), E0, R0.

“We will continue to develop innovative ship designs in cooperation with leading class societies like DNV by applying eco-friendly fuel propulsion and unmanned technologies," said Mr. Sang Hoon Nam, Head of HHI’s Naval & Special Ship Business Unit.

“We are delighted to support HHI by providing naval classification and technical assurance services in a tailored manner making sure the vessel design meets the requirements of navies worldwide by applying our unparalleled experience in naval construction verification,” said Vidar Dolonen, DNV Regional Manager for Korea and Japan.

“We trust that HHI will be able to sign newbuilding contracts soon for this innovative design and look forward to being involved in the classification of these OPVs during the design and construction processes,” added Christian von Oldershausen, DNV Maritime’s Naval Business Director.