Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. has delivered its 1,700th vessel, becoming the world’s first shipyard to pass the milestone figure, the firm announced Monday.

The shipyard’s 1,700th vessel, a car carrier capable of loading 8,100 vehicles, was delivered to the Seoul-based EUKOR Car Carriers Inc.

EUKOR Car Carriers is one of the world’s largest shipping firms specializing in automobile transportation, and is 80 percent held by Norwegian and Swedish firms. The remainder is divided between Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors Corp.

The company said the milestone was reached 37 years after its first vessel ― the 260,000 ton crude carrier Atlantic Baron ― was delivered.

According to the company, the combined gross tonnage ― a measurement of a ship’s capacity ― of the vessels it has delivered so far comes in at 97.76 million tons, and the figure is projected to exceed 100 million tons in April.

The company added that with 110 vessels scheduled to be delivered within the year, it is likely to break the 2,000 mark during the second half of 2013.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)