America’s largest naval shipbuilder, HII, reached an agreement Monday to partner with South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to boost shipbuilding across numerous vessel classes.
The landmark agreement, signed as a memorandum of understanding at the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Symposium at National Harbor, Maryland, covers not only military but commercial shipbuilding efforts, according to a HII press release.
“By working with our shipbuilding allies and sharing best practices, we believe this [agreement] offers real potential to help accelerate delivery of quality ships,” Brian Blanchette, HII executive vice president and president of Ingalls Shipbuilding, said in the release.
Won-ho Joo, chief executive of HHI’s naval and special ship business unit, called the agreement “a new milestone for both of our companies,” adding that the arrangement will provide South Korea “with the unique opportunity to expand our expertise in shipbuilding.”
Hyundai Heavy Industries owns the world’s largest shipyard, located in Ulsan, South Korea. The company, which boasts 10% of the world’s shipbuilding market, asserts it can “produce more than one [Aegis-equipped] ship per year, equivalent to the U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer,” HHI Specialized Ship Business Division Managing Director Woo-man Jeong told a South Korean news outlet.
“If maritime defense cooperation with the U.S. is in full swing,” Jeong added, “we will be able to build up to five ships per year, and there is room for further expansion.”
The agreement inked between HHI and its U.S. counterpart, which is headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, is the latest indication of increased naval collaboration between the two countries.
Last month, South Korea’s naval industry notched a significant first when the Military Sealift Command’s Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Wally Schirra completed a seven-month regular overhaul at a Hanwha Ocean shipyard in Gyeongsangnam-do.
The overhaul marked the first time a Republic of Korea shipyard bid on and won a contract of that scale, according to a U.S. Pacific Fleet release.
“The Republic of Korea’s ability to conduct large-scale maintenance to USNS ships within the Indo-Pacific Theater demonstrates the strong strategic partnership between the Republic of Korea and the United States,” Rear Adm. Neil Koprowski, U.S. Naval Forces Korea commander, said in the release. “Maintenance in Theater reduces downtime and costs, while enhancing operational readiness. This is a landmark achievement to be celebrated as a symbol of our strengthened partnership and ironclad commitment to the ROK-U.S. alliance.”
Monday’s U.S.-South Korea shipbuilding agreement comes on the heels of a recent Government Accountability Office report that described the state of U.S. shipbuilding over the past 20 years as lingering in a “perpetual state of triage.”
During a March 4 address to the nation, President Donald Trump promised to establish a new office of shipbuilding within the White House to inject life into the industry and revitalize U.S. naval strength.
“We used to make so many ships,” Trump said. “We don’t make them anymore very much, but we’re going to make them very fast, very soon. It will have a huge impact to further enhance our national security.”
Zita Ballinger Fletcher previously served as editor of Military History Quarterly and Vietnam magazines and as the historian of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. She holds an M.A. with distinction in military history.
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