Hanjin to employ more workers

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT ZONE, Philippines – Helping boost the Philippine economy even through a slump in the world market, Korean shipbuilding industry leader Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction-Philippines Inc. is set to aim higher and employ thousands of additional workers in its shipyard here this year.

Since its first vessel delivery in 2008, Hanjin had posted P125 billion in annual export sales as of end-2011, making it the consistent top exporter in this premier freeport. It has also made the Philippines into a shipbuilding nation in the process.

Jin Kyu Ahn, president of the Korean shipbuilder giant, said Hanjin’s recent vessel deliveries highlighted the competitiveness of its Subic shipyard in producing state-of-the-art commercial vessels.

The two vessels recently delivered were M/T Brightway, a DWT 160,000 crude oil tanker ordered by Liberian company Modmal Shipping Ltd., and M/V FMG Matilda, a DWT 205,000 bulk carrier owned by Bocimar Hong Kong Ltd. based in Belgium. Both ship owners are engaged in international shipping and maritime solutions.

Jin said that as operations of the Subic shipyard expand, “we will require more employees to join the Hanjin workforce, creating employment opportunities for residents in the surrounding area of the freeport zone, including the provinces of Bataan, Zambales, and the city of Olongapo.”

Once targets for ship orders are reached this year, Jin said Hanjin could add over 10,000 workers which “would clearly benefit the Philippine economy, and bring opportunities to Filipino entrepreneurs and skilled workers, and much-needed revenue to the Philippine government.”

Since 2006, Hanjin has been operating two state-of-the-art Skill Development Centers, one at this freeport’s Industrial Park and another in Cagayan de Oro City, to fully equip its Filipino workforce with skills in shipbuilding, which will enable them to attain global competitiveness.