Shipbuilding majors discuss expanded naval collaboration in Canada

April 14, 2026, by Fatima Bahtić

Hanwha Ocean, the South Korean shipbuilding giant, met with Irving Shipbuilding in Halifax for high-level discussions on potential collaboration spanning naval sustainment, workforce development, industrial participation, supply chain development, and facility modernization.

Hanwha Ocean CEO Hee-Cheul Kim and Irving Shipbuilding President Dirk Lesko led the talks.

Both sides expressed a shared interest in working together to support Canada’s sovereign submarine capability, including sustainment, industrial participation, and capability development. These discussions mark an important step in exploring how Canadian industry and international partners can collaborate to deliver long-term value for Canada.

The partnership vision that emerged from Halifax goes beyond a conventional builder-supplier relationship. Both sides signaled an interest in integrating their respective strengths, Hanwha Ocean’s global naval engineering expertise and Irving’s deep roots in Canadian shipbuilding, to support not just individual programs, but the broader industrial infrastructure needed to sustain and evolve Canada’s naval capability for decades to come.

Hanwha Ocean has developed experience in naval shipbuilding over the past four decades through its work on submarine and surface vessel programs for the Republic of Korea Navy. On the submarine side, this includes construction of the Jang Bogo-class (KSS-I), Sohn Won-yil-class (KSS-II), and Dosan Ahn Chang-ho-class (KSS-III) submarines, along with ongoing support and sustainment activities.

Hanwha Ocean completes major overhaul of ROK Navy’s KSS-II submarine

Vessels

In the surface fleet, the company has built KDX-III Aegis destroyers, as well as frigates and other escort vessels.

It has also delivered auxiliary and support ships, including replenishment and logistics vessels for international customers such as the United Kingdom and Norway, as well as frigates for export operators, including the Royal Thai Navy.

These programs are supported through its Geoje shipyard, which serves as its main production site for naval construction.

Irving Shipbuilding, based in Halifax and designated as a key contractor under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy, is responsible for the construction of major combat vessels for the Royal Canadian Navy. The company works with a domestic supply network of more than 700 Canadian firms and is carrying out ongoing infrastructure upgrades at its shipyard to support long-term production requirements.

Its current workload includes Arctic and offshore patrol ships, Halifax-class frigates through life extension and maintenance, and the River-class destroyer program.