HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), a holding company of Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, has broken ground on the Makeen marine engine production facility in Saudi Arabia.

HD KSOE formed the joint venture with investment from Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company Aramco and the Riyadh-based investment group Dussur.

Following this agreement, HD KSOE has become a licensor of the proprietary HiMSEN engines and is expected to receive royalties for engine technologies from shipbuilders globally.

The facility will be developed on a 150,000m² plot in the King Salman Global Maritime Industries Complex, a shipyard in Ras Al-Khair, Jubail, Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, the plant is expected to produce up to 30 large marine engines, 235 mid-sized engines, and 160 marine pumps annually.

It is also exploring the possibility of generating dual-fuel engines, which use environmentally friendly technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

HiMSEN is an independently developed medium-sized engine comprised of original technology.

This is the first time that HiMSEN engines have been produced overseas. The engines are built by HD KSOE's affiliate HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and are shipped to more than 40 countries and account for over 40% of the global mid-sized marine engine market.

This facility is scheduled to open for business in the fourth quarter of 2025, supplying marine engines to worldwide shipbuilders such as International Maritime Industries (IMI).

IMI plans to complete development on the Middle East's largest shipyard on a property measuring five million square metres by the end of the year.