HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has secured a contract for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of a U.S. Navy auxiliary ship, marking the first MRO contract since the Korean government’s “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA)” proposal, the South Korean shipbuilder said Wednesday.
The company recently won the scheduled overhaul project for the USNS Alan Shepard, a 41,000-ton dry cargo and ammunition ship assigned to the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet.
The vessel, measuring 210 meters in length, 32 meters in beam, and 9.4 meters in depth, entered service in 2007 and was named after Alan Shepard, a rear admiral and the first American astronaut to travel into space.
Starting in September, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will carry out the overhaul at a berth near HD Hyundai Mipo in Ulsan.
The work scope includes propeller cleaning, maintenance of various tanks, and inspection of onboard equipment.
Upon completion, the vessel is scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in November 2025.
Joo Won-ho, head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ naval & special ship business unit, said: “This MRO contract is highly significant as it marks the first contract following the Government’s proposal of the Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation initiative, MASGA. As Korea’s leading shipbuilder, we will spare no effort in successfully completing the MRO for the U.S. Navy’s auxiliary ship.”
To remind, the United States has come to an agreement recently over tariffs, shipbuilding, LNG, and other energy products with South Korea.
The trade deal includes a provision that South Korea will invest $350bn in the United States, of which $150bn will be committed to assisting South Korea companies in entering the American shipbuilding industry, South Korea’s president Lee Jae Myung said on social media, as reported by the government.
The Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation will span the entire shipbuilding ecosystem including construction, MRO (maintenance, repair and operation), and equipment.
The deal, announced by US president Donald Trump, came after South Korean deputy prime minister Koo Yun Cheol, during his visit to Washington, D.C. for Korea-U.S. trade talks, held a meeting on July 29 with the U.S. secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick, joined by the minister of trade, industry and energy Kim Jung-kwan and trade minister for trade Yeo HanKoo.
