HJ Shipbuilding & Construction completes first US Navy ship MRO project, laying groundwork for business expansion

[Financial News] HJ Shipbuilding & Construction has successfully completed its first maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) project for a United States Navy (USN) vessel. Building on this achievement, it plans to strengthen ties with the USN, pursue follow-on contracts and expand its capabilities in the MRO market.
HJ Shipbuilding & Construction said on the 15th that it had completed maintenance on the USN logistics support ship Amelia Earhart and sent it out to sea.
The Amelia Earhart is a large, 40,000-ton-class logistics support ship, measuring 210 meters long and 32 meters wide. It is a key logistics asset that supplies USN aircraft carriers, warships and other vessels with up to 6,000 tons of ammunition, food and cargo, as well as 2,400 tons of fuel.
In December last year, HJ Shipbuilding & Construction signed a contract to maintain the Amelia Earhart with the USN’s Naval Supply Systems Command and Military Sealift Command.
The vessel arrived at the Yeongdo Shipyard in Busan last January. HJ Shipbuilding & Construction then carried out MRO work, including inspections and maintenance of the hull and major systems, upkeep of equipment and facilities, and replacement of parts.
The contract period agreed upon by both parties was a little over three months. During the maintenance work, however, HJ Shipbuilding & Construction identified additional work not covered by the contract and numerous defects, and proposed ways to address them. The USN accepted the proposals and expanded the scope of the additional maintenance, and HJ Shipbuilding & Construction completed all the work on schedule.
As the maintenance work expanded substantially beyond routine upkeep to a level that could maximize the ship’s performance, the project period was extended by six months, from its originally planned end in April to October, and the contract amount also increased significantly.
The USN, which observed the MRO project, also reportedly gave high marks to HJ Shipbuilding & Construction’s maintenance quality, technical expertise and contract execution capabilities. HJ Shipbuilding & Construction said a USN official expressed satisfaction with the quality of the logistics support ship after maintenance and the completeness of the work, and thanked the company for the results of the MRO project.
HJ Shipbuilding & Construction CEO Yoo Sang-cheol said, “Despite frequent schedule changes and the expanded scope of work, we worked closely with the USN and devoted ourselves to the maintenance work, successfully completing our first MRO project.” He added, “Building on this achievement, we will strengthen our ties with the USN and work to secure follow-on contracts.”
[email protected] Kwon Byeong-seok Reporter