HJ Shipbuilding & Construction named a 7,900-TEU container ship "Garnet" at its Busan Yeongdo yard on the 29th, the fourth vessel delivered from an eight-ship order Greek owner TMS placed with the Korean mid-size yard in 2024.

The unit runs 272 metres in length, 42 metres in beam and 20 metres in depth — standard neo-Panamax dimensions that let the vessel call most ports outside the largest ULCV hubs. HJ is building the class as an eco-friendly design focused on fuel efficiency and lower carbon emissions, though the yard did not disclose specific fuel or propulsion details at the ceremony.

About 50 attendees filled the yard, including Konstantinos Pavlopoulos, deputy head of Greek owner TMS, and HJ CEO Yoo Sang-cheol. K-sure, classification societies and partner companies also attended. Pavlopoulos's spouse served as godmother on behalf of DAEMO Engineering, breaking the bottle and assigning the name "GARNET."

What does the order mean for HJ's orderbook?

Since re-entering the merchant shipbuilding market in 2021, HJ has delivered 14 medium- to large-sized eco-friendly container ships in the 5,000–9,000 TEU bracket. The 7,900-TEU Garnet series is the spine of that comeback.

In 2025 alone, the yard added eight 10,100-TEU eco-friendly container newbuilds to its order book — a clear step up in vessel size from the Garnet generation and a signal that Korean mid-size yards are pushing into the upper neo-Panamax band.

The yard's CEO tied the milestone to customer relationships rather than tonnage. "We will continue to build ships that customers can trust based on advanced eco-friendly technologies and differentiated construction capabilities, further solidifying our position as a global shipbuilder," Yoo Sang-cheol said.

Why does the Greek link matter?

TMS's decision to send a senior company official to the naming — rather than a local Korean figurehead — underscores European owners' continued appetite for Korean-built mid-size container tonnage. Greek and other European operators have been among the most consistent customers for the 5,000–9,000 TEU class in recent ordering rounds.

For HJ, the revenue visibility from a single-customer, multi-ship order of eight 7,900-TEU vessels is significant. Series contracts of this type let Korean mid-size yards smooth labour scheduling, lock in engine supplier pricing and secure classification slots across consecutive delivery quarters.

What does the financing tell us?

K-sure's presence at the ceremony indicates that Korea's state trade insurer is backing part of the contract value — the standard arrangement for Korean newbuild deals sold to European buyers. Export-credit support of this kind has historically helped Korean mid-size yards remain competitive in the 5,000–10,000 TEU bracket on series orders.

What comes next?

HJ now runs a multi-year container ship pipeline spanning both the 7,900-TEU Garnet series and the newer 10,100-TEU class booked this year. With four of the eight Garnet units named and deliveries continuing, the Busan Yeongdo yard carries a multi-year container vessel book as Korean mid-size builders consolidate their position in the segment European owners have been ordering into since 2024.