HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has secured a contract for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of the USNS Alan Shepard, a 41,000-ton dry cargo and ammunition ship assigned to the US Navy’s 7th Fleet.
The company described the contract as the first awarded since the South Korean Government’s recent proposal for a new shipbuilding cooperation initiative with the United States.
The overhaul work is scheduled to begin in September at a berth near the HD Hyundai Mipo shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea. The scope of work includes propeller cleaning, maintenance of various tanks, and the inspection of onboard equipment. The vessel is scheduled to be delivered back to the US Navy in November 2025.
The USNS Alan Shepard is a 210-metre vessel that entered service in 2007. Joo Won-ho, Head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Naval and Special Ship Business Unit, described the MRO contract as "highly significant" in the context of the new Korea-US cooperation initiative.
According to HD Hyundai, the company has pursued several initiatives to reinforce its cooperation with US partners this year. These include a strategic partnership with US defence shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries for technological cooperation and joint construction, and a collaboration with the Edison Chouest Offshore group in the commercial ship sector.