US Navy ship arrives in Busan for repair work by HJ Shipbuilding

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SEOUL, January 12 (AJP) - HJ Shipbuilding & Construction said Monday that the 40,000-ton U.S. Navy logistics support ship USNS Amelia Earhart arrived at its Yeongdo shipyard in Busan, marking the start of the company’s first maintenance, repair and overhaul, or MRO, project for the U.S. Navy.

The South Korean shipbuilder secured the MRO contract in December from the U.S. Navy Supply Systems Command, or NAVSUP. The vessel is assigned to the Military Sealift Command.

The Amelia Earhart measures 210 meters in length and 32 meters in width. HJ Shipbuilding said the ship is capable of supplying up to 6,000 tons of ammunition, food and dry cargo, along with 2,400 tons of fuel, to major U.S. Navy vessels, including combat ships.

The company said it will begin full-scale work this month, including inspections and maintenance of onboard equipment and facilities, and plans to return the ship to the U.S. Navy in March.

With the deal with, HJ Shipbuilding became the third South Korean shipbuilder — after Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries — to perform MRO work for the U.S. Navy.

The company estimates the global naval MRO market at about 79 trillion won annually, with the U.S. Navy accounting for roughly 20 trillion won of that total.

HJ Shipbuilding said expectations for the domestic shipbuilding industry are rising following approval by the Trump administration of the MASGA project, a South Korea-U.S. cooperation initiative, and the U.S. Navy’s “Golden Fleet” plan, which aims to counter China’s expanding naval capabilities.

The company also pointed to the U.S. Defense Department’s adoption of a Regional Sustainment Framework, or RSF, which seeks to improve efficiency and turnaround times by leveraging allied shipyards in the Indo-Pacific for MRO work previously conducted in the United States.

HJ Shipbuilding said it plans to use the Amelia Earhart project as a foothold to sign a Master Ship Repair Agreement, or MSRA, with the U.S. Navy. Such an agreement would allow the company to expand its MRO business beyond logistics vessels to include combat ships and frigates.

* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
Lee Nak-yeong 기자 nakk@ajunews.com

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