HJ Shipbuilding & Construction said on the 16th it was notified that it has been selected as a party to sign a Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) with the U.S. Navy. With this, HJ Shipbuilding & Construction can fully participate in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) projects for major U.S. Navy vessels.
The agreement is valid from the 23rd through Jan. 22, 2031.
The Master Ship Repair Agreement (MSRA) is a U.S. Navy-certified qualification for ship maintenance, and a shipyard that signs this agreement can take part in all maintenance, repair and overhaul projects for major U.S. Navy vessels, including not only support ships but also combat ships and frigates. HJ Shipbuilding & Construction has secured a foothold for entering the U.S. Navy vessel MRO market, worth 20 trillion won annually for the next five years.
HJ Shipbuilding & Construction passed the final hurdle for signing the MSRA by receiving strong marks in a port security assessment conducted by security experts from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at the Yeongdo Shipyard in Busan on the 5th.
In Dec. last year, it signed a midlife maintenance contract for the 40,000-ton logistics support ship USNS Amelia Earhart under the Military Sealift Command, becoming the third company in Korea to win a U.S. Navy project after Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries. Winning a logistics support ship MRO contract is possible without an MSRA.
The Earhart entered the Yeongdo Shipyard on the 12th and, after maintenance work, will be delivered to the U.S. Navy in Mar.