Hanwha Ocean's Philly Shipyard and Hanwha Defense USA said they will work with Vard Marine, a naval architecture and marine engineering company fully owned by Italian Fincantieri Group, to take part in the project for the U.S. Navy's next-generation logistics support ship or NGLS.
It is the first time a South Korean firm is carrying out a U.S. Navy ship project using a shipyard on U.S. soil. Hanwha said this is its first U.S. Navy project since acquiring Philly Shipyard in December 2024, and it has invested more than US$200 million since then to expand staffing and facilities.
The project involves developing smaller, more agile, and cost-effective vessels designed for refueling, rearming, and resupplying combat ships.
Hanwha and Vard Marine will jointly conduct market research, concept design, and productivity and cost analyses with the project scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2027.
The participation in the project "represents an important step in our ability to leverage our world-class shipbuilding expertise in building the ships the Navy needs," said Tom Anderson, president of Hanwha Defense USA’s shipbuilding business division.
Industry watchers expect the project to accelerate Hanwha's expansion of its shipbuilding and defense business in the U.S.
Hanwha Defense USA is the American subsidiary of Hanwha Aerospace.
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