HJ Heavy Industries has signed its first maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) contract for a US Navy vessel, marking the shipyard's entry into the American naval maintenance market.
The agreement covers the USNS Amelia Earhart, a 40,000-tonne dry cargo and ammunition ship operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC).
The vessel is scheduled to arrive at the Yeongdo Shipyard in Busan in January 2026 for a "mid-term availability" project.
The scope of work involves hull inspections, system repairs, parts replacement, and painting to ensure operational readiness. The ship is expected to be redelivered to the US Navy by the end of March 2026.
Commissioned in 2008, the USNS Amelia Earhart measures 210 metres in length and is capable of supplying up to 6,000 tons of cargo and 2,400 tons of fuel to carrier strike groups.
HJ Heavy Industries noted the contract follows recent facility inspections by US Navy officials and aligns with the US Department of Defense's regional sustainment framework (RSF) policy.
CEO Yoo Sang-cheol stated, "With this contract, the company’s core competitiveness in the MRO business...has been recognised internationally," adding that the shipyard aims to build trust by strictly meeting delivery and quality requirements.
