Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the world's top shipbuilder by sales, said Wednesday that it has clinched a 320 billion won ($286 million) deal to build three very large crude carriers.

Under the deal with a European shipping firm, Hyundai Heavy will deliver the vessels, 330 meters long and 60 meters wide each, starting in the second half of 2020, the company said.

Hyundai Heavy and its two affiliates are aiming to win $15.9 billion worth of shipbuilding deals this year, up 21 percent from a year earlier.

Last year, they secured $14 billion worth of deals to build a total of 163 ships, surpassing their annual order target of $13.2 billion. (Yonhap)