Jane Edwards 
HII and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, or HHI, have signed a memorandum of agreement to strengthen collaboration on distributed shipbuilding and pursue joint auxiliary and commercial vessel programs.
HII said Sunday the partnership, formalized during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2025 Forum, marks a key step in advancing U.S.-South Korea shipbuilding cooperation.
“This marks the beginning of deeper collaboration between not only our companies, but each of our countries, that will support enduring changes to military and commercial shipbuilding in America,” said Eric Chewning, executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy at HII.
“We look forward to working collaboratively with HHI, the U.S. and South Korean governments, and with our customers to transform the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base and enable accelerated throughput in our shipyards,” added Chewning.
What Are the Key Priorities of the HII-HD Hyundai Agreement?
Under the agreement, HII and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries will explore joint investments and initiatives aimed at expanding the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base through distributed and flexible ship construction.
The collaboration will also focus on research and development, engineering and technology implementation in artificial intelligence and machine learning, robotics and automation, among other areas.
The two companies will also strengthen U.S. Navy Indo-Pacific in-theater ship lifecycle support and pursue teaming opportunities for Navy auxiliary shipbuilding programs.
“Through joint participation in U.S. Navy procurement programs and investments aimed at establishing ship production bases in the United States, the two nations’ key industries are taking a major step toward deeper strategic collaboration,” HHI President Joo Won-ho said. “We are confident that this partnership will generate powerful synergies by combining Korea’s cutting-edge shipbuilding technologies with the U.S. defense sector’s strong market competitiveness.”
Joint Pursuit of the US Navy Logistics Ship Program
The partnership builds on existing cooperation, including a recent agreement to jointly pursue the U.S. Navy’s Next-Generation Logistics Ship, or NGLS, design contract.
The two companies will collaborate to respond to the Navy’s solicitation for the NGLS program’s concept design phase by combining HII’s experience in naval shipbuilding with HHI’s expertise in auxiliary vessel designs.
