HD Hyundai announced that representatives from its American shipbuilding partner, Edison Chouest Offshore, traveled to Korea to review comprehensive plans for the collaborative construction of container ships in the United States.
A delegation of over 10 senior executives and engineers from ECO, headed by CEO Dino Chouest, visited Korea from Tuesday, July 22nd through Wednesday, July 23rd.
Throughout their two-day stay, the group toured HD Hyundai’s Global R&D Center and the shipyards of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Hyundai Mipo to directly observe the technological capabilities and shipbuilding proficiency of the global industry leader.
In June, both companies executed an exclusive Memorandum of Understanding establishing a strategic comprehensive partnership, committing to collaboratively construct medium-sized container vessels at ECO’s facility by 2028.
The agreement also encompasses expanding cooperation beyond vessel construction to include port cranes an area requiring enhanced security measures.
HD Hyundai previously sent a team of more than ten specialists to ECO’s shipyard last month to evaluate production systems and infrastructure while providing consultation services to improve operational efficiency.
During Tuesday, July 22nd, the ECO delegation visited HD Hyundai’s Global R&D Center in Gyeonggi, Korea.
Following a presentation on HD Hyundai’s advanced technologies and shipbuilding capabilities, they explored the Digital Insight Center to monitor the operational performance of HD Hyundai-constructed vessels currently deployed worldwide.
The delegation subsequently examined facilities where automation solutions were developed and reviewed their practical implementation alongside robotic welding technologies used in shipyards.
This exploration reflected mutual recognition that expanding joint shipbuilding activities in the US requires strengthening local infrastructure and improving production capabilities.
During these discussions, Chung Kisun, Executive Vice Chairman of HD Hyundai, and Chouest agreed to broaden their partnership beyond collaborative container vessel construction and investigate future business opportunities together.
Chung stated that HD Hyundai fully endorses initiatives to strengthen the US shipbuilding industry, adding the collaborative shipbuilding project between our companies in the United States will demonstrate an outstanding model of Korea-US cooperation in the shipbuilding field.
On Wednesday, July 23rd, the ECO delegation proceeded to Ulsan to visit the shipyards of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Hyundai Mipo.
They inspected construction sites, toured large container vessels, and thoroughly examined HD Hyundai’s design and manufacturing processes, dock operations and management approaches, along with its automation systems.
ECO engineers who joined the Korean visit will extend their stay by one week to study advanced shipbuilding methods and participate in a technical exchange workshop focused on detailed joint shipbuilding planning discussions.
