US Navy seeks alliance with HD Hyundai and Hanwha

On Friday, U.S. naval officers and senior diplomats at the U.S. Embassy in Korea visited the research and development (R&D) facilities of HD Hyundai and Hanwha Ocean, aiming to gain a further understanding of potential collaboration possibilities with the Korean shipbuilders.

According to HD Hyundai, 13 key U.S. officials visited their Global R&D Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, for consultation on the possibility of cooperation on next-generation warships and eco-friendly and digital technologies. The officials include Rear Admiral Thomas Anderson, program executive officer of ships, and Rear Admiral William Greene, commander of the Navy Regional Maintenance Center and director of surface ship maintenance, modernization, and sustainment.

“We are excited about the opportunities this creates in naval shipbuilding, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) with the U.S.,” said Joo Won-ho, head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ special ship division, referring to the company’s status as the world’s top shipbuilder.

Its shipyards may not match China’s state-backed shipbuilders, but some analysts and other media have called on the United States Navy to strengthen its partnerships with allied shipbuilders. The Wall Street Journal recently noted HD Hyundai has no peer in production capacity at Ulsan.

Actually, this is not the first visit of US officials to the Korean shipbuilder. Rear Admiral Anderson and US Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro earlier visited HD Hyundai’s Ulsan shipyard in February for reviewing the company’s naval fleet – its latest Aegis destroyer to note. This July, US Ambassador to Korea Philip Goldberg also visited the shipyard, aiming to look for more naval business opportunities.

Rear Admiral Anderson thanked the visit, saying: “We thank HD Hyundai for hosting us at their impressive maritime R&D center. The discussions provided valuable insights into potential collaboration between the U.S. and Korea in shipbuilding for mutual benefit.”

The delegation was taken on a tour of Hanwha Ocean’s R&D Campus in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province where they were shown eco-friendly fuel technologies and energy storage systems for submarines.

Earlier this month, Hanwha won its first MRO contract from the U.S. Navy in what will be a three-month overhaul of the USNS Wally Schirra, a 40,000-ton dry cargo and ammunition ship now docked at Hanwha’s shipyard on Geoje Island.

We are optimistic that we will have a successful visit from the U.S. Navy to our Siheung R&D Center, and the center serves as a starting point for future in-depth technological exchange on MRO projects, as well as shipbuilding areas,” said Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-cheul in a statement.