HD Hyundai Heavy awarded USNS Alan Shepard MRO

USNS Alan Shepard [U.S. Military Sealift Command photo]

South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has secured a contract for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of a U.S. Navy auxiliary ship — the USNS Alan Shepard (T-AKE 3), a 41,000-ton dry cargo and ammunition ship assigned to the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet.

Quite how carrying out an MRO on a U.S. ship in a Korean shipyard will help make American shipbuilding great again is unclear, however HD Hyundai notes that this is the first such contract awarded since the Korean government initiated its “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA)” initiative, launched as part of recent tariff negotiations and apparently involving the wearing of red MASGA hats (more on MASGA here).

Be all that as it may, starting in September, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will carry out the overhaul of the USNS Alan Shepard at a berth near HD Hyundai Mipo in Ulsan. The work scope includes propeller cleaning, maintenance of various tanks, and inspection of onboard equipment. Upon completion, the vessel is scheduled to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in November 2025.

Joo Won-ho, head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Naval & Special Ship Business Unit, said, “This MRO contract is highly significant as it marks the first contract following the Government’s proposal of the Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation initiative, MASGA. As Korea’s leading shipbuilder, we will spare no effort in successfully completing the MRO for the U.S. Navy’s auxiliary ship.”

HD Hyundai says that this year it has advanced multiple initiatives to further reinforce Korea-U.S. cooperation in shipbuilding. In April, the company signed a strategic partnership agreement with Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), the largest defense shipbuilder in the United States, for technological cooperation and joint construction in the naval ship sector. In June, the company launched a strategic collaboration with U.S. shipbuilding group Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) in the commercial ship sector. Later that month, HD Hyundai hosted the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Leaders Forum, bringing together over forty U.S. shipbuilding and marine engineering specialists from institutions such as the University of Michigan and MIT.