As the Trump administration unveils detailed blueprints for MASGA (Maritime Alliance for Shipbuilding Growth and Advancement), a U.S.-Korea shipbuilding cooperation project, senior U.S. Navy commanders visited Hanwha Ocean's (042660) Geoje shipyard to inspect K-maritime defense capabilities firsthand. The U.S. Navy delegation showed keen interest in Hanwha Ocean's surface vessel and submarine production capabilities, as well as its MRO capacity, including shipbuilding facilities, automated equipment, and smart yard-based production systems.
Hanwha Ocean announced on the 4th that approximately 10 officials, including Vice Admiral Patrick Hannifin, Commander of the U.S. 7th Fleet, and Rear Admiral Shariff Calfee, Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Korea, visited its Geoje shipyard on the 19th of last month. Commander Hannifin's delegation toured the facility's exhibition hall, assembly plants, and special vessel quays, experiencing firsthand Hanwha Ocean's business capabilities backed by world-class large-scale shipbuilding infrastructure.
Hanwha Ocean actively conveyed its ambition to Commander Hannifin's delegation to deepen and expand its business scope—from U.S. logistics support vessels to combat ship MRO, and from MRO to new ship construction—leveraging its rapid delivery capabilities and proven naval vessel solutions. Commander Hannifin expressed deep interest in Hanwha Ocean's fast delivery capabilities and shipbuilding capacity.
Even before the MASGA project emerged, Hanwha Ocean has been cultivating naval technology competitiveness as a leader in K-maritime defense. The company's track record—including contracts for Norwegian Navy logistics support vessels, the British Navy's first overseas-ordered warship, and Korea's first overseas submarine export—has consistently been associated with "first" and "largest" titles in Korean maritime defense.
With global defense budgets expanding amid rising geopolitical uncertainty, interest in K-defense is surging in the global defense market. Hanwha Ocean, with its world-class technology in the shipbuilding sector, stands shoulder to shoulder with leading global defense companies through its locally customized vessel design capabilities and technology that meet recipient countries' defense environments, including their equipment and maritime conditions. The Jangbogo-III Batch-II, a world-class diesel submarine incorporating Korea's submarine design and construction expertise, is raising expectations for winning the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) contract.
Hanwha Ocean is the only company to have built all Korean destroyers—KDX-I, II, and III—constructing more than 40 surface vessels and contributing to strengthening the Republic of Korea Navy's pursuit of blue-water naval capabilities. Starting with the fifth Ulsan-class Batch-III vessel, whose first hull block was placed on the building berth in January, Hanwha Ocean continues to build the Korean Navy's new surface vessels, including the sixth vessel and the first and second Ulsan-class Batch-IV ships, focusing on enhancing naval combat power. The company plans to continue its tradition as a "prestigious surface vessel builder" through the Korean next-generation destroyer (KDDX) and next-generation strategic surface vessels.
Hanwha Ocean continues large-scale investments in new facilities to maximize naval vessel construction productivity. By 2030, the company plans to construct an indoor outfitting shop, expand building berths, and secure additional quay space to strengthen surface vessel production capacity. The Special Vessel Plant No. 4, completed in October last year, is equipped with an AI-based facility and energy management platform.
A Hanwha Ocean official emphasized, "We will secure 'super-gap defense solutions' by applying security-enhanced smart shipyard technology to the special vessel sector," adding, "As a prestigious builder of both submarines and surface vessels, we will combine the know-how and technology we have accumulated with future advanced technologies to leap forward as the strongest player in the global maritime defense industry."