The company said Thursday that its executives met with senior officials from Davie Shipbuilding at the Canadian shipbuilder’s Ottawa office on May 26 to discuss ways to strengthen strategic cooperation across shipbuilding and naval vessel projects.
The meeting was attended by Park Yong-yeol, head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ naval ship business division, and James Davies, chief executive officer of Davie Shipbuilding.
During the meeting, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries highlighted its shipbuilding technologies as the world’s largest shipbuilder and promoted the strengths of South Korea’s K-submarine platform. The two sides also exchanged views on possible cooperation to contribute to the development of Canada’s shipbuilding industry.
Davie Shipbuilding, based in Quebec, is Canada’s largest shipyard and has a long history dating back to the early 19th century. It has experience building a wide range of vessels, including icebreakers, offshore plants and naval support ships.
As Davie also owns Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, cooperation between the two companies is expected to develop into a long-term strategic partnership combining HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ technology with Davie’s local infrastructure, potentially extending into the Arctic market.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries executives, including HD Hyundai Heavy Industries President Joo Won-ho, also attended a welcoming ceremony for the ROKS Dosan Ahn Chang-ho at Esquimalt naval base in Victoria, British Columbia, on May 23, as well as a reception hosted by South Korea’s ambassador to Canada.
At the events, the company promoted the strengths of South Korea’s submarine technology to key local figures, adding momentum to its final push for the contract.
“Together with Canada’s leading shipyards, including Davie Shipbuilding and Irving Shipbuilding, we are working to share capabilities and expand business areas in shipbuilding and naval vessel projects,” Joo said. “We will do our utmost to help South Korean companies work together to win Canada’s submarine project by taking the lead in shipbuilding cooperation with Canada.”
In January, HD Hyundai proposed a multitrillion-won cooperation package for Canada’s submarine project, including plans for HD Hyundai Oilbank to import Canadian crude oil and for the group to share shipbuilding know-how with local shipyards while offering consulting on submarine operation and maintenance.
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