Public-private investment of 1.406 trillion won in Mokpo, Geoje, and Gunsan by 2030... Expansion of HD Hyundai, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Hanwha Ocean technologies to support automation for small and medium-sized shipbuilders... Introduction of robots starting from welding and assembly processes
Welding robots and automation technologies from large shipbuilders are spreading to the production sites of small and medium-sized shipbuilders and equipment companies. The government and the shipbuilding industry have decided to invest 1.406 trillion won by 2030 to improve production facilities in major shipbuilding regions such as Mokpo, Yeongam, Geoje, Busan, and Gunsan.
This investment focused on disseminating the technology of large shipbuilders to small and medium-sized partners. We plan to increase the introduction of robots for tasks that are highly dependent on human resources, such as welding and assembly, and also connect design and production information from main contractors and partners.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced regional investment plans at the Shipbuilding M.AX Alliance Strategy Meeting held in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do on the 12th. The total investment amount is the sum of government support and private company investment plans.
#### Orders increased by 43%, but skilled manpower decreased... From welding to robot input
According to Clarkson Research, a British shipbuilding and shipping market analysis agency, Korea's ship orders from January to September this year increased 43% compared to the same period last year. On the other hand, according to the 2026 Korean Shipbuilding Industry Evaluation Report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the number of workers in the domestic shipbuilding industry decreased by about 38% from 203,441 in 2014 to 125,636 in 2024.
The number of technical, engineer, and skilled personnel also decreased by about 16,700 from 51,420 to about 34,700 during the same period. Employment has shown a recovery since 2021, when orders for eco-friendly ships have increased, but the shortage of skilled workers has not been resolved.
Ships have different designs and structures, and processes such as welding, piping, and painting are complex. As newly hired personnel require long training to take on skilled work, shipbuilders are pursuing automation starting from repetitive welding and assembly tasks.
HD Hyundai is using robots for welding ship blocks and transporting materials. We are also developing digital twin technology that uses design data to enable robots to recognize work locations and implement production sites in virtual space.
At Yeongam Shipyard, small assembly work using collaborative robots, welding robots, and an AI-based process monitoring system are being applied. Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jeong-kwan also visited the site on the 12th and inspected related facilities.
Hanwha Ocean has begun building a smart yard, and Samsung Heavy Industries is also introducing robots into production processes such as welding. Along with the introduction of robots, work is also underway to connect design and production data.
Minister Kim said at the Shipbuilding M.AX Alliance Strategy Meeting, "M.AX in the shipbuilding industry, which has so far relied on labor, is a more difficult challenge than any other industry."
#### 1.406 trillion won in Mokpo, Geoje, and Gunsan... Support for partner companies' production facilities
The areas where the largest investment is planned are Mokpo and Yeongam, with a scale of 596 billion won. HD Hyundai Samho and DaeA Industrial decided to invest 400 billion won to build an autonomous shipyard in the Yeongam Daebul Free Trade Zone.
The government plans to provide 160 billion won for technology development and 36 billion won for supplying partner companies' facilities. The developed technology will be spread to nine partner companies within the Daebul Industrial Complex.
500 billion won will be invested in Geoje and Busan. Samsung Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean will establish a platform to share design and production information, and equipment companies will use this to automate the production process of equipment such as piping and distribution. Busan, where about 60% of the nation's shipbuilding equipment companies are located, plans to provide 100 billion won to build platforms and supply facilities.
In Gunsan, 310 billion won will be invested to automate the subassembly process and build a production data infrastructure, led by J Ocean Heavy Industries. Technology development and facility supply will be carried out step by step until 2030.
Production competition with China is also behind the rush to invest in automation. According to Clarkson Research, China's cumulative ship orders from January to September this year were 53.91 million CGT, accounting for 76% of the global market. Korea's share was 15%. Orders from China increased by 92% compared to the same period last year.
Although Korean shipbuilders maintain competitiveness in high value-added vessels such as LNG carriers, there is a significant gap with China in overall order volume. Along with securing production manpower, the need to increase work efficiency at shipyards has also increased.
Cost and technical challenges remain in the process of distributing automation equipment to small and medium-sized partners. Because the design of each ship is different, it is not easy to replace curved block welding or piping work in narrow spaces with robots. In addition to the cost of purchasing equipment, there are costs for maintenance and worker training, and it is also necessary to connect design and production information used by the main contractor and partner companies.
Even if small and medium-sized shipbuilders and partner companies introduce robots, it takes time to stably establish them in existing production processes. The government and the shipbuilding industry plan to gradually develop technology and supply equipment by 2030.
