South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) today announced that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Philly Shipyard, located in Pennsylvania, USA, for the construction and maintenance (MRO) of naval and official vessels ordered by the U.S. government.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries press release – (issued in Korean, translation by Naval News)
The signing ceremony, held at Philly Shipyard, was attended by Dr. Won-ho Joo, representative of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Naval and Special Ship Business Unit (NSSBU), and Mr. Steinar Nerbovik, president of Philly Shipyard, among other officials from both companies.
Philly Shipyard, an affiliate of the Norwegian maritime, offshore wind, and energy specialist company Aker Group, was established in 1997 on the former site of the U.S. Navy Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Since 2003, it has built over 50% of the large merchant ships in the U.S. under the Jones Act, with government and naval vessel construction and maintenance as its core business.
Under this new agreement, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will support Philly Shipyard, which is expanding its U.S. naval vessel business, by supplying ship designs and material packages.
Since 2005, HD Hyundai has been supplying blueprints and materials to Philly Shipyard for merchant ships. With today’s agreement, they plan to extend their cooperation to include naval and official vessels of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Maritime Administration.
After the ceremony, attendees toured the shipyard’s construction site, while sharing expertise on shipbuilding and MRO operations.
Dr. Won-ho Joo, representative of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ NSSBU, stated: “Through cooperation in the construction and MRO business of naval and official vessels with U.S. companies, we look forward to further extending HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ influence in the global defense market.”
Mr. Steinar Nerbovik, president of Philly Shipyard, expressed: “It is an honor to explore cooperation on U.S. government projects, based on the mutual trust that has been built over a long period of cooperation between our two companies.”
Meanwhile, HD HHI has recently established strategic partnerships with a number of U.S. defense companies such as GE Aerospace and L3Harris for the development of ship propulsion systems, MRO for U.S. warships, and to secure contracts for naval projects in Australia and Canada.
Additionally, the company has agreed to jointly develop Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) with Palantir Technologies, which are expected to be game changers in future naval warfare.
