HII, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries sign memorandum of understanding

HII and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), two of the world’s leading shipbuilders across multiple classes of ships, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore opportunities to collaborate on accelerating ship production in support of defense and commercial shipbuilding projects. The signing ceremony took place in HII’s booth at Sea Air Space, the largest global maritime expo in North America, and was attended by HII Executive Vice President and President of Ingalls Shipbuilding Brian Blanchette and Won-ho Joo, chief executive of the naval & special ship business unit at HHI.

“Today’s agreement reflects our commitment to explore all opportunities to expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity in support of national security,” Blanchette says. “By working with our shipbuilding allies and sharing best practices, we believe this MOU offers real potential to help accelerate delivery of quality ships.”

This strategic partnership aims to leverage the combined expertise and resources of both companies to advance technological innovation, maximize production efficiency, and strengthen the global defense industry.

“This partnership marks a new milestone for both of our companies and provides us with the unique opportunity to expand our expertise in shipbuilding,” Won-ho Joo says. “We look forward to working with HII to explore new possibilities and deliver even greater value to our customers.”

The efforts applied under the MOU aim to increase the collective maritime industrial base strength of the U.S. and South Korea.