HD Hyundai, Kiewit unveil plans for new US shipyard

Cell guides on the Ane Maersk, A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S's newest methanol-powered container ship, foreground, at the HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. shipyard in Ulsan, South Korea, on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024. A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S's newest methanol-powered vessel will soon set sail from South Korea as the shipping giant seeks to reduce emissions in one of the world's most-polluting industries. Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images

WASHINGTON — South Korean firm HD Hyundai and North American Kiewit Maritime Co. have unveiled plans to launch a new shipyard in the US aiming to build both US Navy auxiliary and commercial vessels.

The proposed shipyard, which the companies referred to as HD Kiewit Shipbuilding LLC, will also be designed to produce ship blocks and modules for the US shipbuilding industry, the firms said.

“Our proposed joint venture HD Kiewit Shipbuilding marks an important milestone in HD Hyundai’s journey to become a strategic partner to the U.S. shipbuilding industry,” Hannae Choi, executive vice president and head of corporate planning division of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, said in a statement on Thursday. “Building on HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding technology and shipyard operating capabilities, we will contribute to strengthening the U.S. shipbuilding industry and expanding shipbuilding cooperation between the United States and South Korea.”

The new joint venture comes after South Korea signed off on investing $350 billion in US projects that President Donald Trump hand picked — including $150 billion in US shipbuilding — in exchange for a reduction in tariffs on South Korean imports in July 2025.

It’s unclear exactly where the shipyard will be located, but the companies said that they plan to start construction on the new shipyard in 2027 on an “existing industrial site” with full operations expected to launch in 2029. The shipyard aims to s upport up to 3,000 full-time jobs.

“This approach would create modern vessel production facilities while making use of an existing industrial location with deep water and unrestricted access to the Gulf,” HD Hyundai and Kiewit said in a press release Thursday, signaling the yard could be based in that region.

“Advanced solutions — including digital twins, automated production systems and robotic welding — are intended to improve productivity, quality and safety throughout the shipbuilding process,” the release said.

A leap in drone range and payloads come from a battery with different chemistry

Lithium-metal batteries are one way to break the weight and endurance limits of today’s unmanned systems.

HD Hyundai is South Korea’s largest shipbuilder, and has a history of partnerships with US defense companies. For example, the firm signed a memorandum of understanding with HII last year to “explore opportunities” to work together on both military and commercial shipbuilding initiatives. The two also launched a pilot program in August to deploy intelligent mechanized welding equipment at HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division, in alignment with the original partnership.

Meanwhile, Kiewit Maritime Co. is an affiliate of the Kiewit Corporation — a North American construction and engineering firm that has a track record of building bases, shipyards, and other national defense projects for the US military.

Breaking Defense Video

Army’s tech chief talks autonomy, acquisition and the future of drones

Drones take over AUSA, plus the Army’s plan to bring in new vendors

Hegseth talks autonomy at AUSA, a key show focus

Army doubles down on autonomy, stakes out Indo-Pacific role: AUSA Day 2

Telle talks ‘manufacturing rodeo,’ supply chain ‘weak links’: AUSA Day 1

New leaders, new drone command: What we expect from AUSA 2026

Unpacking Boeing’s F/A-XX win, plus a report from wartime Ukraine

How Hegseth envisions a new Autonomous Warfare Command

What Europe’s military air fleets will look like in 30 years

Riyadh gets closer to F-35s, Damascus presses sovereignty and an expert take on Iran

2024年1月25日，星期四，在韩国蔚山现代重工造船厂，马士基集团最新型甲醇动力集装箱船“Ane Maersk”号（前景）上的舱室导引员正在作业。这艘最新的甲醇动力船舶即将从韩国启航，这家航运巨头正努力减少全球污染最严重的行业之一——航运业的排放。摄影：SeongJoon Cho/彭博社，图片来自Getty Images

华盛顿——韩国HD Hyundai公司和北美Kiewit Maritime公司公布了在美国建立新造船厂的计划，旨在建造美国海军辅助舰艇和商用舰艇。

两家公司表示，拟建的造船厂（他们称之为 HD Kiewit Shipbuilding LLC）还将为美国造船业生产船体分段和模块。

“我们提议成立的合资企业HD Kiewit Shipbuilding标志着HD Hyundai成为美国造船业战略合作伙伴的重要里程碑，”HD韩国造船与海洋工程公司执行副总裁兼企业规划部负责人崔汉娜（Hannae Choi）周四在一份声明中表示。“凭借HD Hyundai的造船技术和船厂运营能力，我们将为加强美国造船业以及扩大美韩两国在造船领域的合作做出贡献。”

在韩国同意向美国总统唐纳德·特朗普亲自挑选的美国项目投资 3500 亿美元（其中包括向美国造船业投资 1500 亿美元）之后，新的合资企业应运而生。作为交换，美国将于 2025 年 7 月降低对韩国进口商品的关税。

目前尚不清楚造船厂的具体选址，但相关公司表示，他们计划于2027年在“现有工业用地”开工建设新造船厂，预计将于2029年全面投产。该造船厂的目标是提供多达3000个全职工作岗位。

HD Hyundai 和 Kiewit 周四在一份新闻稿中表示：“这种方法将打造现代化的船舶生产设施，同时利用现有的工业用地，该地拥有深水区和通往墨西哥湾的无限制通道。”这表明船厂可能位于该地区。

新闻稿称：“包括数字孪生、自动化生产系统和机器人焊接在内的先进解决方案旨在提高整个造船过程的生产力、质量和安全性。”

无人机航程和有效载荷的飞跃得益于采用不同化学成分的电池。

锂金属电池是突破当今无人系统重量和续航能力限制的一种方法。

HD Hyundai是韩国最大的造船企业，与美国国防公司有着长期的合作关系。例如，该公司去年与HII签署了一份谅解备忘录，旨在“探索”在军用和商用造船项目上的合作机会。此外，双方还于今年8月启动了一项试点项目，在HII旗下的英格尔斯造船厂部署智能机械化焊接设备，以落实双方此前的合作。

与此同时，Kiewit Maritime Co. 是 Kiewit Corporation 的附属公司——Kiewit Corporation 是一家北美建筑和工程公司，拥有为美国军方建造基地、造船厂和其他国防项目的良好记录。

突破性防御视频

陆军技术主管谈无人机的自主性、采购和未来

无人机主导了美国陆军协会（AUSA）的会议，此外，陆军还计划引入新的供应商。

Hegseth 在 AUSA 大会上谈到了自主性，这是本次大会的一个重点议题。

陆军加倍强调自主性，明确印太地区角色：AUSA第二天

特勒谈“制造业乱象”、供应链“薄弱环节”：AUSA第一天

新领导人，新无人机指挥部：我们对 AUSA 2026 的期待

深入剖析波音F/A-XX的中标，以及来自战时乌克兰的报道

赫格塞斯设想的新型自主作战指挥部

30年后欧洲军用空军机队会是什么样子

利雅得距离F-35战机更近一步，大马士革强调主权，以及专家对伊朗的看法