Hanwha Ocean Discusses MRO Business with U.S. Secretary of the Navy

Minister Carlos del Toro Visits Geoje Facility
Inspects MRO Capabilities and Submarine Construction Facilities

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro (second from left) visited Hanwha Ocean on the 27th, toured the shipbuilding site guided by Hanwha Ocean CEO Kwon Hyuk-woong (third from left), inspected facilities and preparations for ship projects including the U.S. Navy MRO program, and discussed cooperation plans. Photo by Hanwha Ocean

Hanwha Ocean inspected facilities and preparations for carrying out ship projects, including the U.S. Navy MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) business, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of the Navy.

Carlos Del Toro, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Navy, visited Hanwha Ocean on the 27th. Guided by CEO Kwon Hyuk-woong, he toured the shipbuilding site and received an explanation about the latest South Korean submarine Jangbogo-III Batch-II under construction. In addition to the special ship zone where the vessels are being built, he also toured Hanwha Ocean’s large-scale production facilities, Digital Production Center, and Sea Trial Center, which incorporate Internet of Things (IoT) and advanced digital technologies into ship production.

Secretary Carlos Del Toro’s visit to Korea is known to be aimed at verifying the military and commercial capabilities of domestic shipyards and assessing the potential for Korea-U.S. cooperation in ship projects, including the future U.S. Navy MRO business.

Recently, the U.S. has been actively considering outsourcing ship MRO tasks to allied countries with excellent ship technology and facilities due to geographical difficulties and cost issues in maintaining its naval forces. Secretary Carlos Del Toro recently stated in an official setting, “We are seeking opportunities to repair U.S. Navy ships throughout Asia.”

Hanwha Ocean operates the first dedicated MRO organization in the domestic industry and is actively engaging in technology cooperation with overseas companies to provide comprehensive MRO solutions, including technology transfer and proximity support centers, not only domestically but also internationally, to strengthen ship competitiveness.

Furthermore, Hanwha Ocean has performed major repairs and maintenance on 24 Jangbogo-I and II class submarines, upgraded the performance of 3 Jangbogo-I class submarines, and is currently conducting performance upgrades on 3 Gwanggaeto the Great-class destroyers.

A Hanwha Ocean official said, “The ship MRO business requires as much experience and capability as new construction projects,” adding, “Along with overseas ship exports, we will devote all our efforts to making the MRO business a representative brand of ‘K-Defense’ based on the experience and capabilities we have accumulated.”