Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., South Korea's leading shipbuilder, said Friday that it is aiming to win US$26.6 billion worth of orders next year, up nearly 55 percent from this year.
In a regulatory filing, the shipyard said it is also targeting sales of 26.95 trillion won next year.
In a separate filing, Hyundai Heavy said it won orders valued at $17.2 billion this year, up 61 percent from a year earlier, and sales rose 6.1 percent to 22.42 trillion won over the cited period.
"Next year, Hyundai Heavy will see sharp growth at shipbuilding, offshore plants and other businesses, although the global economy is expected to post weak growth next year," said a company official.
The recent rise in vessel orders and prices, as well as increasing orders in non-traditional shipyard areas like power plants, have brightened the outlook for shipbuilders next year.
Hyundai Heavy said its total sales, including those of subsidiaries, reached 50 trillion won, and assets amounted to 60 trillion won, largely thanks to the acquisition of Hyundai Oilbank Co. in August.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Mipo Dockyard Co., a unit of Hyundai Heavy, said it is targeting $3.3 billion of orders next year and sales of 4.2 trillion won.
But it didn't provide comparable figures for 2010.
Hyundai Heavy gained 0.5 percent to close at 443,000 won Thursday, the last day of trading for the year. Its share price has more than doubled this year.