A South Korean shipbuilder secured a contract for repair and maintenance on the dry cargo ship USNS Amelia Earhart, seen here breaking away from the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson following a replenishment-at-sea on May 5, 2025. (Jennifer Owens/U.S. Navy)
A midsized South Korean shipbuilder has secured its first contract to repair and maintain a U.S. Navy vessel, marking another step in expanding maritime cooperation between Washington and Seoul.
HJ Shipbuilding & Construction, based in the port city of Busan, announced in a Monday news release that it won a maintenance, repair and overhaul contract for the dry cargo ship USNS Amelia Earhart. It did not disclose the value of the deal.
The work will be a mid-term availability — longer than routine pierside maintenance but shorter than a major overhaul — on the 40,000-ton vessel, which supplies ammunition, food and fuel to Navy ships, including aircraft carriers and destroyers.
Although owned by the Navy, the Amelia Earhart is primarily crewed by U.S. civilian mariners.
HJ Shipbuilding described the contract as a “major milestone” and a “critical foothold” in entering the Navy’s maintenance market.
“Naval MRO services span a vessel’s entire life cycle and represent a high value-added business segment,” the company said in its release. “While the U.S. Navy’s MRO market is known for its stringent regulations and high technical barriers to entry, it also offers strong profitability for qualified contractors.”
A company spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for more information by phone and email Tuesday.
Ahead of the deal, U.S. Forces Korea commander Gen. Xavier Brunson and other senior U.S. officials toured HJ Shipbuilding’s Yeongdo Shipyard earlier this year to “assess facilities, equipment, security standards, and technical capabilities,” according to the company.
The agreement reflects broader efforts by the United States and South Korea to deepen cooperation in shipbuilding and maritime logistics, as the Navy looks to bolster readiness amid global shipyard backlogs.
Navy Secretary John Phelan said during an April overseas trip that expanding shipbuilding and maintenance capacity – both domestically and with allies – is a top priority. President Donald Trump has promoted the effort under the banner of “Make American Shipyards Great Again.”
South Korea earlier this year pledged to invest $150 billion in U.S. shipbuilding projects as part of a broader $350 billion investment commitment announced in July by South Korea President Lee Jae Myung, according to Reuters.
In October, Huntington Ingalls Industries and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries — the largest shipbuilders in the U.S. and South Korea — announced a joint strategy covering military and commercial shipbuilding and maintenance.
