On February 18, Japanese steelmaker Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd (Sumitomo Metals) achieved cumulative total steel plate shipments of five million mt to South Korea-based Hyundai Heavy Industries, Co., Ltd., the world's largest shipbuilder.
According to a Sumitomo Metals release, the company began shipment of steel plates for shipbuilding to the South Korean industry giant in 1972, commencing shipments of high-end steel plates for marine structures in 1984. Sumitomo Metals has since supplied approximately 500,000 mt of high-end steel plates to Hyundai Heavy Industries, included in the total shipments of five million mt to Hyundai Heavy Industries.
Meanwhile, Japan's first RORO ship designed specifically for transportation of steel plates has been launched for service between Sumitomo Metals' Kashima Steel Works and the Ulsan shipyard of Hyundai Heavy. The RORO ship will improve transportation efficiency compared to conventional ships that use cranes to load and unload cargo.
Roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels, similar to ferries which do not use a crane to load and unload cargo.