South Korean HJ Shipbuilding & Construction (HJSC) has secured its first contract for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of the US Navy’s logistics support vessel.
On December 15, the global shipbuilder announced that it had signed a mid-term availability (MTA) contract with the U.S. Navy’s Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) and Military Sealift Command (MSC) for the 40,000-ton dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Amelia Earhart.
The project involves essential maintenance, repair, overhaul, and improvement work required to maintain the vessel’s operational readiness. The logistics support vessel supplies up to 6,000 tons of ammunition, food, and cargo, along with 2,400 tons of fuel, to US Navy assets such as aircraft carriers and combat ships.
Commissioned in 2008, the ship measures 210 meters in length and 32 meters in beam, with a maximum speed of 20 knots (approximately 37 km/h). The vessel is named after Amelia Earhart, the American aviation pioneer and women’s rights icon who became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
Amid expanding defense cooperation between the Republic of Korea and the United States under initiatives such as the MASGA project and the US Department of Defense’s Regional Sustainment Framework (RSF), expectations are rising within Korea’s defense industry for broader participation in allied sustainment programs across the Indo-Pacific region.
This contract is widely viewed as a critical foothold for HJSC’s expansion into the US Navy MRO market. Naval MRO services span a vessel’s entire life cycle.
“This contract represents international recognition of our core MRO capabilities, including technical expertise, maintenance proficiency, and contract execution capacity.” He added, “Drawing on more than 5 decades of experience as a specialized naval defense shipbuilder, we will meet the U.S. Navy’s requirements for quality and delivery to build long-term trust,” HJSC CEO Yoo Sang-cheol stated.
Following contract execution, HJSC will begin full-scale maintenance work in January at its Yeongdo Shipyard quay. After completing hull and major system inspections, repairs, component replacements, and painting, the vessel is scheduled to be redelivered to the US Navy by the end of March next year.