(From left) Kim Jung-kwan, South Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Choi Sung-an, CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, Francesco Valente, CEO of Vigor Marine Group, and Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce [provided by Samsung Heavy Industries]
Samsung Heavy Industries has accelerated shipbuilding cooperation by establishing a strategic partnership with a U.S. shipyard, coinciding with the Korea-U.S. Summit.
Samsung Heavy Industries announced on the 26th that it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Vigor Marine Group in Washington, D.C., on the 25th (local time) regarding a strategic partnership for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of U.S. Navy support ships.
Vigor Marine Group is a specialized shipbuilding company for MRO, modernization of U.S. naval ships, and special mission vessels, with Navy-certified docks and processing plants in four states: Oregon, Washington, California, and Virginia.
Through this agreement, Samsung Heavy Industries plans to actively participate in the U.S. Navy and Military Sealift Command’s MRO business based on its shipbuilding and marine technology, operational know-how, and optimized facilities.
In the future, the company intends to expand the scope of cooperation to include commercial and special ships based on the results of the MRO business collaboration and actively pursue joint construction with U.S. partner shipyards.
Samsung Heavy Industries is considering securing additional partner shipyards and will also expand its joint construction business with overseas shipyards in Southeast Asia and other regions, it explained.
Additionally, the company expressed its intention to leverage its experience and know-how, termed as “soft competitiveness,” to expand cooperation into areas such as the creation of shipbuilding equipment clusters and training centers for skilled shipyard workers and seamen within the U.S.
Choi Sung-an, CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries, stated, “We are very pleased to collaborate with Vigor Marine Group, a representative MRO shipbuilder in the U.S. We plan to do our best to provide top-level MRO services and lay the foundation for constructing U.S. commercial and support ships based on these achievements.”
Francesco Valente, CEO of Vigor Marine Group, commented, “Through our partnership with Samsung Heavy Industries, we aim to expand our MRO business capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region and explore opportunities for building U.S. commercial ships. We will contribute to strengthening U.S. naval power with the highest quality.”
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