There will be an Apple, Inc. in global shipbuilding industries flooded with hundreds of shipyards in the world?
Shipbuilding and shipping specialized analyst Lee Sok-Je threw such a question and answered, "Yes, there will. But the major weapon is commercial ship, not offshore facility."
He mentioned common grounds between Apple's iPhone and commercial ship; being capable of massive production; creating new trend and new demand; building a technical barrier through patent application.
Firstly, merchant ship is possible to be massively produced, compared with offshore facilities, which are specialized by customers' specific demands. In other words, commercial ship can enjoy benefits from economies of scale and make huge profits.
Secondly, eco-friendly vessel will create new demand, like iPhone, and it is a very clear fact that green ship will lead the market. The matter is how fast and bravely shipowners scrap older vessels.
Thirdly, competition toward such technologies related to increasing fuel efficiency will become tougher in the future. Through patent application, leading companies and those started late will see growing gap between them.
Analyst Lee said that South Korean shipyards are most likely to become an Apple in shipbuilding industries. However, there are some matters of concern.
First of all, Korean companies now invest too much in offshore business. If transferring commercial ship specialists into offshore sector for a long period, this would eventually weaken competitiveness of commercial ship sector, which has been built up in the past 30 years.
Second, none of domestic shipyards have declared a 'massive' investment in eco-friendly commercial ship. Lee said, "Among recently developed new vessel or structure, most of them are led by shipowner or classification society, rather than Korean shipbuilders."
Thirdly, he analyzed, "The outcome must be wrapped up and advertised," and added that Japanese shipyards' investment and promotion of their Green ship makes their advancements more notable.
Analyst Lee said that Korean shipyards have more potential than any other global shipyards to be an Apple in shipbuilding industries, however, "No company has yet shown its aggressive movement in the commercial ship sector. It seems that Korean companies tend to depend too much on past experiences rather than catching new trend."