HD Hyundai announced on July 23 that a delegation from Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO), its U.S. shipbuilding cooperation partner, visited Korea to discuss detailed cooperation plans for joint construction of container ships in the United States.

The delegation, consisting of about 10 key executives and engineers including ECO CEO Dino Chouest, toured HD Hyundai’s Global R&D Center, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and HD Hyundai Mipo yards on July 22-23 to directly assess HD Hyundai’s technological capabilities and shipbuilding capacity.

Last month, the two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for strategic and comprehensive partnership, agreeing to jointly build medium-sized container ships at ECO’s shipyard by 2028. They also agreed to expand cooperation to include more ship types and even port cranes, which have strong security implications. HD Hyundai dispatched about 10 experts to ECO’s shipyard last month to inspect production process systems and facilities, and provide consulting for productivity improvement.

On the first day of their visit, July 22, the ECO delegation visited HD Hyundai’s Global R&D Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. They received a briefing on HD Hyundai’s cutting-edge technology and construction capabilities, then visited the digital control center to observe the operational status of ships built by HD Hyundai and currently in service worldwide. They also visited the automation solution development site to discuss the field application of automation solutions and robotic welding technology.
A meeting between the top executives of both companies also took place. Chung Ki-sun, vice chairman of HD Hyundai, and Dino Chouest, CEO of ECO, agreed to expand cooperation by jointly exploring future business opportunities, in addition to the joint construction of container ships. Chung said, “HD Hyundai supports efforts to rebuild the U.S. shipbuilding industry,” adding, “The joint ship construction work between the two companies in the U.S. will be an excellent precedent for Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation.”

On the second day of their visit, July 23, the ECO delegation visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Hyundai Mipo yards in Ulsan to tour the shipbuilding sites, board an actual large container ship, and observe HD Hyundai’s design and production processes, dock operation and management methods, and automation systems. About 10 ECO engineers who joined the delegation will stay in Korea for about a week to learn advanced shipbuilding methods and participate in technical exchange workshops to discuss detailed joint construction plans.
Source: Business Korea