A long-running investigation by the Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) into the commercial practices of France's GTT will be heard in a Seoul court on Wednesday.
The South Korean government watchdog agency had been looking into the cargo containment system designer's dealings with the country's shipbuilders.
GTT said the court date comes after the KFTC issued a "confidential examiner report" setting out the preliminary conclusions of its case team following the investigation.
"The examiner report does not prejudge the outcome of the procedure," GTT said. "It opened a new phase, during which GTT and its counsels have responded in writing to its conclusions, in preparation for the hearing."
GTT and its lawyers will participate in this hearing.
The French company added that it expects the procedure to come to an end in the next few months.
Appeal available
South Korean shipbuilding players said GTT will have the opportunity to take its case to higher courts in the country if it is not content with the outcome from this first hearing.
GTT said it is fully cooperating with the KFTC.
The company said "intends to continue the conduct of its business to the benefit of all stakeholders".
On Monday, GTT announced it has bought Areva H2Gen, which is a French company specialising in electrolysers for the production of green hydrogen.
South Korea's row with GTT goes back over 15 years with the KFTC probe into the company's "possible abuse of dominant position" in South Korea’s LNG carrier construction business launched in 2015.
Yards build GTT's membrane-type containment systems under licence agreements with a charge made per newbuilding.
GTT also carries out the technical assistance for the construction and installation of its systems. Shipbuilders argued they could handle this aspect but GTT will not allow them to.
Separately, South Korean shipbuilders have been trying to advance their own containment system designs for LNG carriers and LNG-fuelled vessels.
