HD Hyundai and SIMA Perú Launch BAP Chimbote for the Peruvian Navy

South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and Peru’s state shipyard SIMA Perú launched BAP Chimbote, the newest vessel in the four-ship BALOG landing-support-ship program, at a ceremony held on August 19. The event marks a concrete milestone for HHI’s first overseas co-build project.

At a Glance

The launch ceremony took place on August 19, 2026, attended by Peruvian President Keiko Fujimori and Defense Minister Rafael Belaunde Llosa.
The ship is based on HHI’s HDL-1400 LCU design: 58.9 meters long, 13.2-meter beam, roughly 1,646 tonnes full-load displacement, 10-knot top speed.
Payload capacity includes military vehicles, up to 21 shipping containers, 211 m³ of freshwater, and 223 m³ of fuel.
HHI supplies design, equipment and the material package plus technical support; SIMA Perú carries out construction.
Four ships are planned under the program, to be delivered to the Peruvian Navy by 2029.

Background

The BALOG (Buque de Apoyo Logístico, or logistics support ship) program is meant to renew the Peruvian Navy’s coastal logistics and amphibious support capacity. HHI’s role differs from a standard export sale: the company provides design plus the equipment and material package, while actual construction is carried out by SIMA Perú, the state shipyard in Callao. This arrangement marks HHI’s first tangible success in an overseas co-build project and reflects South Korean shipbuilders expanding a technology-transfer-based business model into Latin America.

The ceremony was also attended by Peruvian Navy Commander General Admiral Federico Javier Bravo de Rueda Delgado, South Korea’s Ambassador to Peru Choi Jong-uk, and HHI President Won-ho Joo — a level of attendance that underscores the symbolic weight the project carries for defense-industrial ties between the two countries.

Regional Impact

For Latin American navies, building ships domestically with foreign design and technical support offers a middle path between fully imported procurement and fully domestic production — it brings technology transfer and local employment while keeping delivery schedules more predictable. SIMA Perú’s experience under this model could feed into Peru’s broader ambition to expand domestic construction capacity for larger naval platforms down the line. For South Korea, BAP Chimbote serves as a reference project that raises HHI’s visibility in the Latin American market, and other regional navies may look more closely at similar co-production arrangements as a result.

FAQ

When will BAP Chimbote be delivered to the fleet? No firm delivery date has been announced; the full four-ship program is due to be completed by 2029.

What missions is the ship designed for? Logistics support and coastal amphibious operations, carrying military vehicles, containers, freshwater and fuel.

What is HHI’s role in the project? It supplies the design, equipment/material package and technical support, while SIMA Perú handles construction.

Sources

Naval News, “HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Launches Landing Support Ship for Peru”
Korea Herald, “HD Hyundai launches first locally built naval ship in Peru”
Seoul Economic Daily, “HD Hyundai Launches Peru’s Chimbote Landing Ship in First Overseas Co-Build”