South Korean Shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean Wins Big with US Navy Contract!

Hanwha Ocean Co., a major South Korean shipbuilder, has secured a contract to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the USS Charles Drew, industry sources reported Tuesday.

The company clinched the U.S. Navy’s regular MRO project for the Charles Drew, a dry cargo and ammunition ship assigned to the Navy’s 7th Fleet, according to the sources.

The non-combat vessel is slated to arrive at Hanwha Ocean’s Geoje shipyard, located approximately 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul, later this month. It is expected to be returned to the U.S. Navy by year’s end.

This contract marks Hanwha’s third MRO project for a U.S. Navy vessel.

In a groundbreaking move last August, Hanwha became the first South Korean shipbuilder to secure such a contract, winning the MRO project for the Navy’s logistics support ship USS Wally Schirra. The company further solidified its position in November by securing an additional MRO deal for the replenishment oiler USS Yukon.