South Korean shipbuilder HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) has won a maintenance contract for U.S. Navy auxiliary vessel USNS Alan Shepard.
The 210-metre, 41,000-ton dry cargo and ammunition ship, part of the U.S. 7th Fleet, will undergo a Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) at berth close to the HD HHI Mipo yard in Ulsan.
As per Wednesday’s HD HHI press statement, works to be carried out will include propeller cleaning, maintenance of various tanks, and inspection of onboard equipment. The MRO is scheduled to be completed within four months, with the ship due to be handed back to the U.S. Navy in November this year.
Joo Won-ho, Head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Naval & Special Ship Business Unit, said, “This MRO contract is highly significant as it marks the first contract following the Government’s proposal of the Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation initiative, MASGA [Make American Shipbuilding Great Again].
“As Korea’s leading shipbuilder, we will spare no effort in successfully completing the MRO for the U.S. Navy’s auxiliary ship.”
Back in April, the company signed a strategic partnership agreement with Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), the largest defence shipbuilder in the United States, for technological cooperation and joint construction in the naval ship sector.
- You can read more details on the HD Hyundai website