HD Hyundai said on the 25th that Canada's Minister of Trade and Industry (MOTI) Mélanie Joly visited the HD Hyundai Global R&D Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
Minister Joly visited the GRC with Canadian Ambassador to Korea Philippe Lafortune to review HD Hyundai's shipbuilding capabilities and discuss mutually comprehensive economic and industrial cooperation plans.
Minister Joly examined models of HD Hyundai's future ships and submarines, frigates, and unmanned surface vessels, then held a conversation with HD Hyundai Vice Chairman Cho Seok and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries President Joo Won-ho.
At the meeting, Vice Chairman Cho said, "As the world's No. 1 shipbuilder with top-tier warship construction technology and production capacity, HD Hyundai is confident it will be Canada's optimal business partner," adding, "Beyond warship programs, we will seek cooperation with Canada across diverse sectors including shipbuilding, energy, robotics, and AI."
Minister Joly then visited the Digital Convergence Center to review HD Hyundai's technological capabilities, including AI-based naval solutions, hybrid electric-propulsion vessels, and digital twin virtual sea trials. She then went to the Digital Control Center to observe operational conditions of ships built by HD Hyundai that are currently in service worldwide.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, together with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and Hanwha Ocean, formed a team and was shortlisted in Aug. for the Canadian Navy's ongoing submarine acquisition program. The project is a large-scale plan for the Canadian Navy to introduce 12 3,000-ton-class submarines. The Canadian government is expected to select a final contractor as early as next year.