An opinion piece published in a U.S. think tank's journal noted that cooperation with ally South Korea is essential for the rebuilding of the U.S. shipbuilding industry and navy. It also mentioned that Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries are the most suitable partners for this cooperation.
On Dec. 12 (local time), the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Pacific Forum published a column titled 'With South Korea's help, can U.S. shipbuilding catch up with China?' written by Jin-ho Park, a policy advisor to the Ministry of National Defense of South Korea.
In the column, Commissioner Park said, "One of the urgent tasks that the U.S. administration must address is the collapse of the U.S. shipbuilding industry, but this cannot be reversed by the U.S. alone," and suggested that "the most effective alternative is to cooperate in the shipbuilding sector with allied countries like South Korea."
He pointed out the rise of the Chinese navy and the decline of local construction capacity as reasons why the U.S. must collaborate with South Korea. He stated, "The Chinese navy is expected to possess 435 vessels by 2030, far surpassing the U.S. Navy's 290 ships," and expressed concern that "with less than 20 shipyards currently in the U.S., without comprehensive reforms to U.S. maritime industries and laws such as the Jones Act, the once-leading U.S. shipbuilding capabilities will be impossible to restore."
He continued, "The U.S. aims to build more vessels domestically, but this currently seems unrealistic," emphasizing that "South Korea, which possesses the world's top shipbuilding technology and competes with China in the shipbuilding market, can provide immediate relief to the U.S."
Commissioner Park projected that Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, representative shipbuilders in South Korea, could play a pivotal role in the reconstruction of the U.S. shipbuilding industry. He cited South Korea's history of building 3,000 merchant ships and naval vessels over the past decade as an example.
He explained, "Hanwha Ocean is responsible for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) for the U.S. Navy in Philadelphia following its acquisition of a shipyard there," and noted that "HD Hyundai Heavy Industries plans to invest up to $200 million (approximately 283.9 billion won) in developing small modular reactor (SMR) propulsion vessels in collaboration with TerraPower in the U.S. by 2030."
He added, "Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries are discussing ways to collaborate on building South Korea's first fully electric propulsion destroyer using homegrown technologies such as the AEGIS combat system," stating that "this unprecedented move could more efficiently and timely meet strategic demands of the U.S. that American shipbuilders cannot fulfill."
Commissioner Park anticipated that U.S.-South Korea shipbuilding cooperation could not only effectively deter China's maritime activities but also be advantageous in coordinating coalition naval operations in the Indo-Pacific region. He analyzed that a new trilateral security cooperation framework could be established, including Japan.
Finally, Commissioner Park said, "Collaborating with South Korea, a reliable ally for 70 years, is the best solution to urgently revive the declining U.S. shipbuilding industry and maintain U.S. maritime leadership," adding that "at the same time, South Korea's investment in U.S. shipbuilding will contribute to mitigating side effects such as supply chain disruptions."