South Korean Ship Orders Up 127% In 1999

Combined orders received by South Korean shipbuilders totaled 12.72 million gt for 227 ships in 1999, up 127.2 percent from a year earlier, according to the Korea Shipbuilders' Association said. New orders received in December alone totaled 3.71 million GT for 66 ships, the association said in a statement. Ships completed in 1999 amounted to 9.48 million gt for 163 ships, up from 7.28 million gt for 143 ships a year earlier, it said. South Korea's backlogged orders at the end of December totaled 24.19 million gt for 390 ships, the association said.