Samsung Heavy Industries Co.'s (010140.SE) first-quarter net profit rose 19% on increased high-end ship orders, it said.

"We have received some orders to build value-added, offshore facilities including drill ships and order changes to higher-level ships in some projects also helped," a spokesman said by telephone.

Net profit for the three months ended March 31 rose to 300.5 billion won ($271 million) from KRW252.7 billion a year earlier, the company said in a statement.

Operating profit climbed 34% to KRW440.2 billion from KRW328.4 billion. Sales were up 9.9% to KRW3.888 trillion from KRW3.539 trillion.

The world's second-largest shipbuilder by order backlog has $3 billion in orders so far this year--23% of its annual target of $13 billion.