HD Hyundai announced on Oct. 26 that it has signed a memorandum of agreement  with Huntington Ingalls of the United States for cooperation in the design and construction of commercial and naval vessels.

The signing ceremony took place at the Lahan Select Hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, where APEC 2025 is being held. Ju Won-ho, president of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Special Ship Division, and Eric Chewning, executive vice president of strategy development at Huntington Ingalls, were among the attendees.

The next-generation replenishment ship, currently under development by the U.S. Navy, is a vessel designed to provide fuel and supplies to combat ships in operational areas. It is expected to play a crucial role in modernizing the U.S. Navy’s supply and logistics capabilities, offering improved mobility and operational efficiency compared to existing supply ships.

According to the MOA, both companies will collaborate on the design and construction of the U.S. Navy’s next-generation replenishment ships. Furthermore, they will share expertise and capabilities to improve construction costs and delivery times across both commercial and naval vessel sectors. The U.S. Navy has recently issued a request for proposals for the conceptual design of the next-generation replenishment ship.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries first exported a replenishment ship, the Endeavour, to New Zealand in 1987, followed by the successful delivery of a second replenishment ship, the Aotearoa, in 2020. The company has also demonstrated outstanding competitiveness in the replenishment ship sector by delivering three Cheonji-class and one Soyang-class replenishment ships to the Republic of Korea Navy.

Through this MOA, both companies have agreed to jointly invest in acquiring or establishing new shipbuilding facilities in the United States. They will also supply block modules and key materials to Huntington Ingalls Group’s two shipyards: Newport News Shipbuilding and Ingalls Shipbuilding.

Additionally, they will explore the establishment of a joint engineering company in the shipbuilding sector and cooperate in the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of U.S. Navy and allied nations’ vessels.

Ju stated, “This MOA represents a practical collaboration between leading defense shipbuilding companies in Korea and the United States, including joint participation in U.S. Navy projects and investment in securing ship production bases in the United States. We are confident that Korea’s advanced shipbuilding technology and the U.S.’s defense market competitiveness will create powerful synergies.”

Chewning said, “Today’s MOA signing marks a significant moment in advancing shipbuilding cooperation between the allied nations of the United States and Korea. We look forward to working with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the governments of the United States and Korea, and our customers to innovate the foundation of the U.S. shipbuilding industry and enhance productivity.”

On Oct. 27, as part of the APEC CEO SUMMIT KOREA 2025, Chewning is scheduled to present a message on the cooperation achievements between the two companies and the direction of U.S.-Korea shipbuilding industry cooperation at the Future Tech Forum hosted by HD Hyundai, under the theme of Strategic Cooperation between the U.S. and Korea in the Shipbuilding Sector.

HD Hyundai signed a defense cooperation MOU with Huntington Ingalls in April, and in early October, a working-level team from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Special Ship Division visited the Ingalls Shipyard in Mississippi, USA, to share shipbuilding technology and manufacturing process know-how. In September, the company also began regular overhaul work on the 41,000-ton cargo replenishment ship USNS Alan Shepard of the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, further strengthening cooperation in the U.S. shipbuilding sector.

Source:Business Korea