Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering Co. said Monday it has won a patent suit against Cryostar SAS, a French ship parts maker, at the European Patent Office (EPO).

The shipbuilder said the EPO had dismissed the petition filed by the French company in late 2012 claiming that the South Korean shipbuilders' patent for HiVAR-FGSS should be nullified because it is neither worthy of a patent nor has improved features.

The HiVAR-FGSS is a device used to inject natural gas stored in a tank to a ship's engine after compressing it using high pressure.

Daewoo Shipbuilding obtained the patent for the device from the EPO in May 2011.

The South Korean company expects the EPO's decision will help it expand its presence in the competitive global ship parts market.