US Navy turns to South Korea to keep ships ready for the Pacific

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00:00Another US Navy vessel is headed to South Korea for repairs.

00:04It will be the second US ship fixed by a South Korean company this year, but the first since

00:09the two countries signed a $150 billion agreement to make American shipbuilding great again.

00:20It's no secret shipbuilding in America is in a sorry state, which also means the state

00:25of ship repair and maintenance is equally dismal.

00:29For the US Department of Defense, that's an issue of national security.

00:34The demands on America's maritime force are growing, and if the US finds itself in a conflict

00:39with China in the next couple of years, as many suspect will happen, the US Navy is going

00:45to need all the ships it can muster.

00:48So making sure everything on the water today is as close to top-notch condition as possible

00:55is a fairly important undertaking.

00:58Last July, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a Master Ship Repair Agreement with US Naval

01:04Systems Command.

01:06And the world's largest shipbuilder just won its first maintenance, repair, and overhaul

01:12contract for the USNS Alan Shepard.

01:16Work on the 41,000 ton Lewis and Clark class dry cargo ship is scheduled to start in September

01:22at HD Hyundai's Meepo Shipyard in Ulsan.

01:25Propeller cleaning, tank inspection, and servicing, and a full systems diagnostics are all on the

01:32docket.

01:33And HD Hyundai says it'll have the ship back to the US Navy in November.

01:37While not a warship, the Alan Shepard makes it possible for warships to do what they do.

01:43The Shepard performs replenishments at sea, resupplying warships with much-needed items so

01:50they can stay on station longer.

01:52The head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries said in a company statement, the contract is, quote,

01:58highly significant since it's the first to be awarded after Seoul proposed its $150 billion

02:05Make American Shipbuilding Great Again partnership slash investment.

02:10Under Mozga, South Koreans will help strengthen US shipbuilding by constructing new yards, training

02:17new workers, and assisting in ship maintenance.

02:19HD Hyundai Heavy Industries expects to compete for several more MRO contracts this year.

02:25The company also signed a pair of agreements with American manufacturers to boost productivity

02:31and cooperation in shipbuilding technology.

02:35The first is with Huntington Ingalls Industries, makers of US submarines, aircraft carriers, amphibious

02:41assault ships, and other vessels.

02:43The second partnership was with Edison Schwest Offshore to help in the commercial shipbuilding

02:49industry.

02:49Now, like we said earlier, the Shepard is the second Lewis and Clark class dry cargo ship

02:55to undergo repairs in a South Korean shipyard this year.

02:59The first was the USNS Wally Shira at Hanwha Oceans Facilities.

03:04We reported on that on our show Weapons and Warfare, so be sure to check out the SAEN website

03:09or download the app for that story.