Hanwha Ocean is expanding cooperation with U.S. corporations and institutions for joint design of strategic transport ships, training shipbuilding personnel, and building a local supply chain.
Hanwha Ocean said on the 23rd (local time) that it signed one professional services contract and two memorandums of understanding (MOUs) at the opening ceremony of the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation Center held in Washington, D.C.
Hanwha Ocean signed a professional services contract with U.S. naval ship design company Leidos Gibbs & Cox for joint design of a "global strategic transport ship." This gives concrete shape to an MOU signed in April to strengthen the capability to build naval vessels for the United States and its allies.
The two companies will begin joint design and technology development for the strategic transport ship and operate a cooperation system to manage design quality. The plan is to combine Hanwha Ocean's shipbuilding capabilities with the design and engineering expertise of Leidos Gibbs & Cox, which has designed more than 70% of U.S. Navy surface ships since World War II.
A global strategic transport ship is a dual-use vessel designed to be operated for commercial purposes such as logistics transport in peacetime and to rapidly transport military supplies in contingencies.
Hanwha Ocean also signed an MOU with Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc. and Delaware County Community College for cooperation on shipbuilding technology education and development. They plan to jointly develop instructor training programs to foster skilled personnel for the U.S. shipbuilding industry.
Delaware County Community College is a two-year higher education institution in eastern Pennsylvania. It is currently participating as the linked technical education institution for Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc.'s apprenticeship program, providing job-related theoretical education.
Hanwha Ocean and Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc. also signed an MOU with the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Growth Partnership to build a local shipbuilding supply chain. The policy is to identify suppliers in the region and establish a shipbuilding industry ecosystem to expand Hanwha Philly Shipyard Inc.'s production capacity.
Chief administrative officer Chung In-seop of Hanwha Ocean said, "Hanwha Ocean is fully prepared to contribute to the rebuilding of the U.S. shipbuilding industry and the development of Korea's shipbuilding industry," adding, "Centering on the local production base, we will expand cooperation in the areas most needed by the United States and become the driving force of the 'MASGA project.'"