Hanwha Ocean returns Wally Schirra to U.S. Navy in first MRO project

Hanwha ocean delivered a the USNS Wally Schirra, a dry cargo ship, to the U.S. Navy, closing out its first maintenance, repair and overhaul project with the armed forces branch.

Hanwha Ocean carried out maintenance, repair and overhaul services on the USNS Wally Schirra, owned by the U.S. Navy. [HANWHA OCEAN]

Hanwha Ocean has delivered a dry cargo ship to the U.S. Navy after completing its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) tasks, a landmark project between Korea and the United States in the shipbuilding sector.

The project on the USNS Wally Schirra marked the first time for a Korean company to handle the MRO service for the U.S. Navy, which led to a second order last November.

The Korean shipbuilder, previously known as Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering, assessed the six-month undertaking to have been “successful” since it not only executed basic repair work but also found additional parts that required repair. The detection resulted in upping the value of the order and lengthening the contract period, according to a statement released by the Korean shipbuilder.

“The service was supposed to end by the end of last year, but it was extended through March because of the parts,” said a spokesperson at Hanwha Ocean.

Hanwha Ocean carried out maintenance, repair and overhaul services on the USNS Wally Schirra, owned by the U.S. Navy. [HANWHA OCEAN]

The Donald Trump administration is pushing to strengthen cooperation in shipbuilding with Korea, home to some of the world's largest shipbuilders, as many U.S. warships have grown old.

“Today is the result of months of hard work and dedication by the team here at Hanwha, and by the men and women of the Wally Schirra. This serves as a reminder of the close partnership between our two countries and the opportunities we have to continue to strengthen that partnership,” Patrick J. Moore, command officer of the Military Sealift Command Office of Korea, said in the statement.

The Korean firm echoed the expectation.

“We will continue to strengthen cooperation between the Korean and U.S. navies and create new opportunities in the global naval MRO market," said Kim Dae-sik, director at the shipbuilder’s MRO business division, in the statement.

Hanwha’s second contract concerns the USNS Yukon, a replenishment oiler owned by the U.S. Navy and operated by the Military Sealift Command. The ship, which entered service in March 1994, has a displacement of 31,000 tons with a length of 206 meters (676 feet) and a beam of 29.6 meters.

Hanwha Ocean plans to conduct maintenance and repairs on the vessel, which will be delivered back to the Navy in April 2025.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]