HANJIN HEAVY INDUSTRIES

- First among Korea’s mid-sized shipbuilders to enter the U.S. Navy maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) market, marking a major milestone

- USNS Amelia Earhart (Source: U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command)

HJ Shipbuilding & Construction (HJSC), widely regarded as a cornerstone of Korea’s defense industry, has successfully secured its first contract in the U.S. Navy’s MRO market. The agreement marks the company’s first tangible achievement since declaring its entry into the U.S. naval vessel MRO business.

On December 15, the global shipbuilder announced that it had signed a mid-term availability (MTA) contract with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) and Military Sealift Command (MSC) for the 40,000-ton dry cargo and ammunition ship ‘USNS Amelia Earhart’. The project involves essential maintenance, repair, overhaul, and improvement work required to maintain the vessel’s operational readiness.

The USNS Amelia Earhart is a logistics support vessel that supplies up to 6,000 tons of ammunition, food, and cargo, along with 2,400 tons of fuel, to key U.S. Navy assets such as aircraft carriers and combat ships. Commissioned in 2008, the ship measures 210 meters in length and 32 meters in beam, with a maximum speed of 20 knots (approximately 37 km/h). The vessel is named after Amelia Earhart, the American aviation pioneer and women’s rights icon who became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.

This contract is widely viewed as a critical foothold for HJSC’s expansion into the U.S. Navy MRO market. Naval MRO services span a vessel’s entire life cycle and represent a high value-added business segment. While the U.S. Navy’s MRO market is known for its stringent regulations and high technical barriers to entry, it also offers strong profitability for qualified contractors.

Amid expanding defense cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the United States under initiatives such as the MASGA project and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Regional Sustainment Framework (RSF), expectations are rising within Korea’s defense industry for broader participation in allied sustainment programs across the Indo-Pacific region.

Building on decades of experience in special-purpose naval shipbuilding and maintenance, HJSC has been preparing to enter overseas MRO markets since 2024. Since being designated Korea’s first marine defense contractor in 1974, the multinational shipbuilder has delivered and serviced more than 1,200 naval vessels and military logistics systems, establishing a strong foundation of technical expertise and operational know-how.

As HJSC accelerated its MRO expansion this year, senior U.S. officials—including the Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, inspection teams from NAVSUP, and a Deputy Assistant Secretary from the U.S. Department of Commerce—visited the Yeongdo Shipyard in Busan to assess facilities, equipment, security standards, and technical capabilities.

HJSC CEO Yoo Sang-cheol stated, “This contract represents international recognition of our core MRO capabilities, including technical expertise, maintenance proficiency, and contract execution capacity.” He added, “Drawing on more than 5 decades of experience as a specialized naval defense shipbuilder, we will meet the U.S. Navy’s requirements for quality and delivery to build long-term trust.”

Following contract execution, HJSC will begin full-scale maintenance work in January at its Yeongdo Shipyard quay. After completing hull and major system inspections, repairs, component replacements, and painting, the vessel is scheduled to be redelivered to the U.S. Navy by the end of March next year.