Hanwha Group and U.S. Navy discuss future cooperation at Geoje shipyard

Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan met with Admiral Steve Koehler, commander of the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet, during Koehler’s visit to Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard in South Gyeongsang on Thursday.

Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan, front right, and Admiral Steve Koehler, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, tour Hanwha Ocean's Geoje shipyard in South Gyeongsang on Thursday, where U.S. Navy vessel Wally Schirra is undergoing maintenance. [HANWHA OCEAN]

Hanwha Group Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan met with Admiral Steve Koehler, commander of the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet, during Koehler’s visit to Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard in South Gyeongsang on Thursday.

Hanwha Ocean said on Friday that Kim and Koehler toured the Wally Schirra ship, which is undergoing maintenance at the shipbuilder’s Geoje shipyard. They discussed possibilities for further cooperation in the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business for ships under the U.S. Military Sealift Command (MSC) deployed in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Korean shipbuilder signed a master ship repair agreement (MSRA) with the U.S. Naval Supply Systems Command in July to work on U.S. warships. In the following month, it acquired its first project for the "Wally Schirra" vessel, a 40,000-ton logistics support ship that is undergoing a four-month maintenance process and is scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in January next year.

During the meeting, Kim said that the shipbuilder has been gaining a better understanding of the U.S. Navy’s maintenance and management system through the project, emphasizing that the company will optimize its key equipment supply chain to ensure the successful execution of future MRO projects. In response, Koehler noted the importance of having a reliable partner for the Pacific Fleet’s operations.

“Hanwha Ocean will continue to align with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Regional Sustainable Framework (RSF) plan and expand involvement in future U.S. naval projects by successfully completing this MRO business,” Kim said. “The company will contribute to strengthening the U.S. Navy’s capabilities by leveraging its expertise, including the utilization of the recently acquired Philly Shipyard.”

Last month, the U.S. Department of Defense announced plans to establish military maintenance hubs in five countries across the Indo-Pacific region, including Korea and Japan, under the RSF policy.

Vice Chairman Kim also met with Polish President Andrzej Duda during the president’s tour of Hanwha Aerospace’s facility in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, on Friday. Poland’s decade-long partnership with the defense equipment manufacturer began with the import of K9 self-propelled howitzers and has recently extended to Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers.

Duda inspected demonstrations of multiple Hanwha defense systems, including the latest Redback armored vehicle, the Jangbogo-III Batch-II submarine — which is being considered for export to Poland — aircraft engines, and small-sized synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites.

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