U.S. ambassador tours HD Hyundai shipyard eyeing Navy collaboration

The U.S ambassador to Korea visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan shipyard.

Philip Goldberg, U.S. ambassador to Korea, third from left; Nolan Barkhouse, consul general of the United States in Busan, second from left; HD Hyundai Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun, third from right; and other officials pose for the photo at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Ulsan shipyard on Monday. [HD HHI]

Philip Goldberg, U.S. ambassador to Korea, visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ (HD HHI's) Ulsan shipyard on Monday to explore avenues for the shipbuilder’s collaboration with the U.S. Navy.

Goldberg and Nolan Barkhouse, consul general of the United States in Busan, inspected the shipyard's construction site, next-generation Aegis destroyers, patrol ships, docks and maintenance facilities alongside HD Hyundai Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun and HD HHI President and CEO Lee Sang-kyun.

Goldberg had expressed a desire to personally tour the shipyard, according to the shipbuilder.

HD HHI announced the signing of a Master Ship Repair Agreement with the U.S. Navy on Thursday, marking its entry into the highly profitable U.S. naval maintenance market.

The agreement grants HD HHI qualification to bid on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) projects for ships under the Military Sealift Command and combat vessels operated by the U.S. Navy for the next five years.

The Korean company also recently signed agreements related to the MRO sector with the American Bureau of Shipping, U.S. maintenance specialists and mid-sized shipyards.

In February, HD HHI executives met with the U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro to discuss cooperation during the secretary's visit to the company’s Ulsan headquarters.

“With global interest in national security at an all-time high, we will lead K-defense by strengthening our cooperation with the U.S., our longstanding ally and the world’s strongest nation,” Lee said in a statement.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]