SEOUL, Oct. 9 ( Yonhap ) - The orders abroad for industrial plants differed South Korea by 22.7 percent in the first nine months of the year compared to the previous year , thanks to a surge in the number orders in the third quarter , the Ministry of Commerce said Wednesday.
The orders abroad for industrial plants in the country reached 46.2 billion dollars in the January-September period , according to the Ministry of Commerce , Industry and Energy.
Due to the global economic crisis, overseas orders for industrial plants rose just 0.7 percent in the first quarter , followed by a fall of 3.7 percent in the second quarter .
However, in the third quarter more than doubled the overseas orders compared to the previous year , thanks to large-scale orders like a drill ship worth 1.1 billion dollars from Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co.
In Asia , orders for industrial plants reached 17.3 billion dollars in the first three quarters , representing an increase of 46.5 percent over the previous year, while in Africa rose 56 orders , 4 percent to 4.2 billion dollars.
By sector , orders for power plants and freshwater led the growth in the nine months , reaching 12.1 billion dollars, an increase of 77.9 percent compared with the previous year .
However, the petrochemical sector had a 32.4 percent drop in overseas orders to reach $ 340 million , the ministry added .
