Hyundai Heavy develops world's largest ice-breaking merchant ship

SEOUL, Aug. 24 (Yonhap) -- Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., South Korea's leading shipbuilder, said Wednesday that it has developed the world's largest ice-breaking merchant ship. The 190,000-ton vessel is designed to break through ice up to 1.7 meters deep and sail at a speed of 11 kilometers per hour, according to Hyundai Heavy. The vessel, 310 meters long and 51 meters wide, will be used for carrying iron ores, it said. Hyundai Heavy said it expects demand for ice-breaking merchant ships to rise sharply down the road as efforts to develop natural gas, oil and iron ores in the Arctic area are accelerating. Hyundai Heavy has been seeking to develop offshore facilities and ice-breaking ships.