Samsung Heavy Industries
A South Korean shipbuilder and offshore-engineering company specializing in commercial vessels, energy infrastructure, and advanced marine systems.
Last updated October 14, 2026
AI crawler reads
2requests
1companies- Amazon2
- Profile
- 2
- Controversies
- 0
- JSON · MD
- 0
- First read
- Oct 30, 2026
- Latest read
- Oct 31, 2026
Since Oct 28, 2026 · from this site's server log
Overview
Samsung Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. (SHI) is a South Korean shipbuilding and offshore-engineering company belonging to the Samsung Group. It is one of South Korea’s major shipbuilders and is commonly grouped among the country’s three largest builders, alongside Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Its principal activities include the design and construction of container ships, liquefied-natural-gas carriers, drilling ships, oil platforms, floating production storage and offloading units, floating storage and offloading units, and other specialized marine structures. The company was established in 1974 when Samsung opened its Changwon plant. It expanded through acquisitions and combinations involving Woojin, Daesung Heavy Industries, and other industrial operations. The development of its Geoje shipyard became central to the company’s shipbuilding identity. Samsung Shipbuilding and Daesung Heavy Industries were consolidated under the Samsung Heavy Industries name in 1983, after which SHI broadened its engineering capabilities and entered additional heavy-industrial activities. SHI’s main shipyard is in Geoje, South Korea. The complex includes three dry docks and five floating docks and serves as the company’s principal production base for large vessels and offshore facilities. The company has also operated ship-block fabrication facilities in Ningbo and Rongcheng in China, together with a design center in India. This international footprint supports a business model that combines Korean construction and engineering capacity with overseas fabrication and design resources. From the late twentieth century onward, SHI developed beyond conventional shipbuilding. It built forklifts and construction equipment at Changwon, added truck production in the early 1990s, and assembled electric-car prototypes. The truck operation was separated in 1996 as Samsung Commercial Vehicles, while the forklift and heavy-equipment activities were sold in 1998. These businesses are no longer the company’s defining activities, but they illustrate the industrial diversification pursued during SHI’s earlier development. Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, the company has concentrated more heavily on high-value vessels and offshore projects. LNG carriers, large passenger ships, drill ships, oil platforms, and FPSO and FSO units became important parts of its portfolio. SHI also sought opportunities in cruise and residential-cruise construction, a segment historically associated with European builders. In 2009 it received a contract for the Utopia residential cruise ship project, described at the time as an exceptionally large passenger vessel for construction in Asia. The company has also pursued marine and energy-related technologies outside traditional shipbuilding. Its wind-turbine activities included the S7.0-171 turbine, introduced in the early 2010s and described in 2013 as one of the world’s largest and most powerful turbines. Overall, Samsung Heavy Industries is positioned around technically complex, capital-intensive projects rather than mass-market consumer products. Its competitive profile rests on large-scale shipyard infrastructure, engineering expertise, offshore construction, and the ability to deliver specialized vessels for global energy and transportation customers.
History
Samsung Heavy Industries was established in 1974 when the Samsung Group opened a plant in Changwon. The company’s early expansion involved the acquisition of Woojin and the development of shipbuilding facilities at Geoje. Samsung also acquired the construction-equipment division of Korea’s Heavy Industries and Construction, giving the business a foundation in heavy machinery as well as marine production. A major organizational change occurred in 1983, when Samsung Shipbuilding and Daesung Heavy Industries were merged under the Samsung Heavy Industries name. The consolidation enabled SHI to combine shipbuilding, heavy-equipment manufacturing, and engineering resources. During the following years, the company invested in new technologies and expanded into construction and related industrial fields. In the late 1980s and 1990s, SHI operated a range of vehicle and machinery businesses. Forklift manufacturing began in 1986 through arrangements associated with Clark Material Handling Company. Heavy-equipment production, including excavators, began in 1987. Truck production was added in May 1993, while the company also assembled prototypes of electric vehicles. The truck business was spun off in 1996 as Samsung Commercial Vehicles. SHI sold its forklift and heavy-equipment businesses in 1998, allowing the company to focus more clearly on shipbuilding and offshore engineering. From the beginning of the twenty-first century, SHI increasingly emphasized LNG carriers, large passenger vessels, offshore platforms, drilling ships, and floating production systems. It also exported shipbuilding technologies to the United States and pursued entry into the cruise market, which it viewed as an important high-value segment where European companies had traditionally held strong positions. In 2009, SHI secured a contract to build the Utopia residential cruise ship. The project was presented as a major test of the company’s ability to compete in large passenger-vessel construction. SHI’s main production base developed at Geoje, where the principal shipyard includes three dry docks and five floating docks. The company also established or operated overseas capabilities, including ship-block facilities in Ningbo and Rongcheng in China and a design center in India. These locations complemented the Korean shipyard by supporting fabrication, design, and international project execution. The company has also participated in wind-turbine manufacturing. Its S7.0-171 turbine was highlighted in 2013 as one of the largest and most powerful turbines in the world. This activity reflected a broader interest in energy technology, although shipbuilding and offshore engineering remained the core of SHI’s identity. Samsung Heavy Industries is therefore best understood as a specialized industrial brand rather than a consumer-facing Samsung electronics brand. Its historical development has moved from a diversified heavy-industry base toward technically demanding marine construction. The company’s principal areas of expertise are large commercial vessels, LNG transportation, offshore drilling and production, floating energy facilities, and other custom-engineered maritime assets.
- 2013
S7.0-171 wind turbine highlighted
[1]SHI's S7.0-171 wind turbine is described as one of the world's largest and most powerful turbines.
- 2009
Utopia residential cruise ship contract
[1]SHI is contracted to build the Utopia residential cruise ship project.
- 1998
Forklift and heavy-equipment businesses are sold
[1]SHI divests its forklift and heavy-equipment operations as its strategic center of gravity shifts toward shipbuilding and offshore engineering.
- 1996
Truck business is spun off
[1]The truck operation is separated from SHI and becomes Samsung Commercial Vehicles.
- 1993
Truck production is added
[1]SHI adds truck production to its diversified industrial activities.
- 1987
Heavy-equipment manufacturing begins
[1]The company begins manufacturing heavy equipment, including excavators, at Changwon.
- 1986
Forklift production begins
[1]SHI begins forklift production through arrangements involving Clark Material Handling Company.
- 1983
Samsung Shipbuilding and Daesung Heavy Industries merge
[1]Samsung Shipbuilding and Daesung Heavy Industries are consolidated under the Samsung Heavy Industries name.
- 1974
Samsung establishes the company
[1]Samsung Heavy Industries is established with the opening of the Changwon plant in South Korea.
- 1974
Company established
[3]Samsung Heavy Industries was established in South Korea as a Samsung Group industrial company.
Products and positioning
High-value shipbuilding and offshore engineering for complex commercial, energy, and marine infrastructure projects.
Commercial vessels
Container ships
SHI designs and builds large container ships for international liner and freight markets. These vessels are part of the company's core commercial-shipbuilding portfolio and demonstrate its ability to construct large, high-capacity ships using its Geoje yard infrastructure.
Gas carriers
LNG carriers
Liquefied-natural-gas carriers are among SHI's principal high-value vessel categories. They require specialized cargo containment, propulsion, safety, and thermal-management systems, making them representative of the company's focus on technically complex commercial ships.
Offshore vessels
Drill ships
SHI produces drill ships for offshore exploration and drilling operations. These vessels combine shipbuilding with offshore engineering and require integrated drilling, station-keeping, marine, and safety systems.
Offshore engineering
Oil platforms
Oil platforms form part of SHI's offshore-construction business. The company's work in this area extends beyond hull construction to the engineering and integration of large marine structures used in energy production.
Floating production and storage systems
FPSO and FSO units
Floating production storage and offloading and floating storage and offloading units are specialized offshore facilities used to process, store, and transfer hydrocarbons at sea. SHI includes these floating systems among its major offshore-engineering offerings.
Passenger vessels · 2009
Large passenger and residential cruise ships
SHI has pursued large passenger-vessel construction, including the Utopia residential cruise ship project contracted in 2009. This product area represented an effort to enter a high-value market historically associated with European shipbuilders.
Wind-energy equipment · 2013
S7.0-171 wind turbine
The S7.0-171 was a large wind turbine manufactured by SHI. In 2013 it was described as one of the world's largest and most powerful turbines, illustrating the company's activity in energy-related industrial equipment.
Shipbuilding
Commercial ships
Samsung Heavy Industries designs and builds commercial vessels for international maritime customers. The supplied materials specifically identify very large container ships among the company’s flagship offerings. Such vessels are high-value, customer-ordered assets built through integrated engineering, fabrication and commissioning processes.
Offshore engineering
Offshore platforms and production facilities
The company’s offshore business covers engineered marine facilities used in energy and offshore-production applications. These projects are typically complex structures requiring specialized design, fabrication and integration capabilities. The available reference identifies offshore plants as one of Samsung Heavy Industries’ core business areas.
Offshore drilling
Drillships
Drillships are purpose-built vessels combining ship systems with offshore drilling equipment. Samsung Heavy Industries lists drillships among its flagship offerings, placing the company in a technically demanding segment serving offshore energy customers. No specific model, delivery date or customer is included in the supplied source material.
Floating energy infrastructure
FLNG facilities
Floating liquefied natural gas facilities, or FLNG units, are offshore installations designed to process and liquefy natural gas at sea. They represent one of the company’s identified flagship offerings and illustrate its focus on high-value offshore engineering. Specific projects and commissioning dates require verification from project-level sources.
Machinery
Marine and industrial machinery
Machinery is identified in the supplied corporate reference as an area of activity alongside shipbuilding and offshore plants. The available material does not specify individual machinery products, brands or current product families, so this entry is kept at the business-category level.
Brand decisions
2013
Develop the S7.0-171 wind turbineProduct launchBackground
SHI expanded its industrial and energy-technology activities beyond its core shipbuilding and offshore businesses.
Action taken
The company manufactured the S7.0-171 wind turbine.
Aftermath
The turbine was described as one of the world's largest and most powerful in 2013.
2009
Enter the cruise and residential-cruise marketStrategyBackground
SHI viewed cruise construction as an important remaining high-value segment in which European shipbuilders had traditionally been strong.
Action taken
The company pursued cruise construction and accepted a contract to build the Utopia residential cruise ship.
Aftermath
The project served as a test of SHI's ability to compete in large passenger-vessel construction in Asia.
Recent events
Orca AI and Samsung Heavy Industries launch BerthView[4]
Orca AI announced the commercial launch of BerthView, a berthing assistance solution combining Orca AI’s SeaPod digital watchkeeper with Samsung Heavy Industries’ SVISION berthing assistance system. The solution is available for retrofit on vessels already in service.
Samsung Heavy raises funds through new share sale[5]
Reported:
Samsung Heavy Industries said it raised 1.28 trillion won through the sale of 250 million new shares.
Samsung Heavy Industries plans to withdraw investment from its Ningbo shipyard[6]
Reported:
A report said Samsung Heavy Industries planned to withdraw its investment from its Ningbo shipyard and return it to South Korea. The planned withdrawal and proposed severance terms were reported alongside employee protests and ongoing labor negotiations.
SHI and Bloom Energy sign ship-development agreement[7]
Reported:
Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) and Bloom Energy signed a joint development agreement to design and develop fuel-cell-powered ships.
SK Telecom and Samsung Heavy Industries establish autonomous vessel platform[8]
Reported:
SK Telecom announced that it had established a 5G-based autonomous sailing platform for vessels in collaboration with Samsung Heavy Industries. The companies tested the platform with a prototype vessel, which recognized obstacles and reached a remotely set destination.
Sources8 sources
- 1Samsung Heavy Industriesen.wikipedia.org
- 2Samsung Heavy Industries official websitesamsungshi.com
- 3Samsung Heavy Industries official website (Korean)samsungshi.com
- 4Orca AI与三星重工业推出BerthViewhellenicshippingnews.com
- 5三星重工通过新股发行筹资koreaherald.com
- 6三星重工计划撤出宁波造船厂epochtimes.com.tw
- 7SHI与Bloom Energy签署船舶开发协议marinelog.com
- 8SK Telecom与三星重工业建立船舶自主航行平台koreaherald.com
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/samsung-heavy-industries · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled