HD HHI nets maintenance contract for US Navy’s logistics support vessel

January 12, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

South Korean shipbuilding giant HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) has secured a second maintenance contract from the US Navy, further expanding its presence in the US naval maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market.

As informed, the company will carry out scheduled maintenance work on USNS Cesar Chavez, a 41,000-ton logistics support vessel operated by the US Navy.

The award follows the completion and delivery of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ first US Navy MRO project, the replenishment oiler USNS Alan Shepard.

HD Hyundai Heavy wins MRO contract for US Navy’s auxiliary ship

Vessels

The back-to-back contracts indicate growing engagement between the US Navy and South Korean shipbuilders in the MRO sector, as the navy seeks additional capacity to support fleet readiness and availability.

MRO activities are increasingly seen as critical to sustaining naval operations, particularly as fleets age and operational tempos remain high.

For HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, the latest contract supports a broader strategy to expand beyond newbuild construction into full lifecycle support services, aligning with global trends in naval procurement and sustainment.

Details of the contract value and maintenance schedule have not been disclosed.

To remind, last year, HD Hyundai has advanced multiple initiatives to reinforce Korea-US cooperation in shipbuilding further. In April 2025, the company signed a strategic partnership agreement with Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), the largest defense shipbuilder in the United States, for technological cooperation and joint construction in the naval ship sector.