South Korean shipbuilder HJSC has started work on its first maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) contract from the U.S. Navy.
Logistics support ship USNS Amelia Earhart arrived at HJSC’s Yeongdo Shipyard in Busan at the start of last week and full-scale maintenance works on the vessel were due to start before the end of the month, as per a company press statement.
HJSC was awarded the contract — its first U.S. Navy MRO deal — in December last year by the U.S. Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP). Works are scheduled to be completed in just over a month, with the ship expected to be delivered back ready to resume active service in March.
The company said it hopes to use the project as a “springboard” to a wider U.S. Navy support deal including combat vessels and escort ships in the future.
HJSC is the third shipbuilder, following Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, to secure a U.S. Navy MRO project.
Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) completed its first MRO project on supply ship USNS Alan Shepard at its Ulsan shipyard in December and will soon begin its second on sister ship USNS Cesar Chavez.
The first MRO contract awarded to a Korean company was carried out by Hanwha Ocean on supply ship
USNS Wally Schirra at its Geoje Shipyard. The works took about six months and were completed in March last year.
USNS Amelia Earhart is another Lewis-and-Clark-class supply ship; the 210m vessel can carry up to 6,000 tons of ammunition, food, and dry cargo, along with 2,400 tons of fuel. Built in America by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company (NASSCO), she entered service towards the end of 2008.
- You can read more details on the HJSC website