The chief of US naval operations, Adm. Daryl Caudle, has visited the shipyards of South Korea’s leading shipbuilders — HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. and Hanwha Ocean Co. — to discuss shipbuilding cooperation between Seoul and Washington, the companies said Sunday.
On Saturday, HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun met with Caudle at the company’s shipyard in Ulsan, 350 kilometers southeast of Seoul, where he briefed the admiral on the company’s world-class shipbuilding technologies. The two also exchanged views on advancing the Make American Shipbuilding Great Again initiative, HD Hyundai said in a press release.
The MASGA project, led by the South Korean government, aims to revitalize the US shipbuilding industry through partnerships with South Korean shipbuilders.
“We will help enhance US shipbuilding capabilities and strengthen the US Navy’s combat readiness, while making every effort to ensure the success of MASGA,” Chung was quoted as saying.
HD Hyundai said Caudle’s visit is expected to accelerate discussions with US counterparts on technological cooperation in naval ship construction and closer supply-chain integration.
Later the same day, the admiral also met with officials from Hanwha Ocean at its shipyard in Geoje, 390 km south of Seoul, for similar discussions.
Hanwha officials briefed Caudle on the company’s plan to expand its business from maintenance, repair and overhaul work on US Navy logistics support vessels to MRO for combatant ships, and eventually to new-build naval vessel programs, the company said.
“Hanwha Ocean aims to remain the US Navy’s most reliable partner and a strong contributor to the Korea–US alliance. We are fully prepared to support the MASGA project and its successful implementation,” Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-cheol said. (Yonhap)
