Story and Photos by HENRY EMPEÑO | July 29, 2026

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries-Philippines (HHIP) officially rolled out the tanker Orion Jade here on Tuesday, July 28, marking the completion of the first vessel to be built at Agila Subic’s multi-use industrial and maritime facility.

The ship launching also ended more than seven years of hiatus in ship construction at what once was the fourth-largest shipbuilding facility in the world.

The Orion Jade, said to be the first of four orders by an Asian client, is a 250-meter-long and 42.4-meter- wide oil product carrier, a specialized vessel designed to transport refined petroleum products.

Rated at 115,000 deadweight tonnage (DWT), Orion Jade is within the class of Long Range 2 (LR2) tankers, which measure from 80,000 to 159,999 DWT and are some of the largest oil product carriers.

The new ship will undergo ship trials in the next few months and will probably be formally christened by January next year, sources at the HHIP said.

HHIP, with mostly Filipino shipworkers, built the ship in over 10 months, starting with the steel-cutting ceremony in September last year that was witnessed by President Marcos.

In Tuesday’s launching ceremony, top officials lauded the investment drive of the Marcos administration and touted the potential of a revived local shipbuilding industry to generate more jobs and boost the economy.

“The launch of Orion Jade is a clear manifestation of the success of the Marcos Jr. administration to attract investments into our country, and to be able to build world-class ships at scale,” Finance Secretary Frederick Go said in his message.

“My understanding is that, by next year, this shipyard will be targeting to build at least 10 ships a year. So, this is the first of many to come,” he added.

Go also noted that while the HHIP shipyard employs some 4,000 workers at the moment, this number may double by next year, as shipbuilding operations expand.

Republic of Korea Ambassador Lee Sang-Hwa, meanwhile, stressed the importance of HHIP’s Subic investment, pointing out that shipbuilding anchors a pro-industrial ecosystem, strengthens manufacturing capabilities, and generates high-quality jobs.

“With the Philippine government’s support, including a stable, predictable, and competitive investment environment, HD Hyundai’s investment will become a lasting success story that benefits both of our countries,” he also said.

He added that from a broader view, the Subic shipyard serves as a strategic asset of the Luzon Economic Corridor. “Shipbuilding in Subic is a prime example of how international partnership actively drives the corridor’s success, strengthening the vital economic links among Subic, Clark, Manila, and Batangas,” Lee said.

HD Hyundai, which is regarded as the world’s largest shipbuilding company, is reportedly pumping some US$550 million over the course of its 10-year lease with Agila Subic for the use of the former Hanjin shipyard.

Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. (HHIC-Phil), which is also a South Korean company, vacated the facility at the Redondo Peninsula here after declaring bankruptcy in 2019. In a span of 11 years, HHIC-Phil delivered a total of 123 vessels, beginning with the container ship MV Argolikos in 2008 and ending with two crude oil tankers in November 2018.

President Marcos said in the ceremony here last September that from the 1.2 to 2 million gross tons annual output at the time of Hanjin, the revived Subic shipyard’s capacity will increase to about 1.3 to 2.5 million tons each year. ▲