HD Hyundai has entered into a strategic partnership with an American shipbuilder.

South Korea’s largest shipbuilder will work with Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) to get mid-sized LNG dual-fuel containerships built in the US by 2028. ECO operates five shipyards across the US and is best known for its production of offshore support vessels. 

HD Hyundai will provide vessel design, procurement agency services, technical construction support, and selected prefabricated blocks, while also investing in technology assets to support the effort.

The two shipbuilding partners are also looking at developing other ship types and port cranes 

“Through this collaboration with ECO, we will actively support the revival of America’s shipbuilding industry and its broader national security goals,” said an HD Hyundai spokesperson.

This agreement follows a string of recent moves by HD Hyundai to strengthen its US presence. In April, the company signed an MOU with Huntington Ingalls Industries, the largest defence shipbuilder in the US, to jointly advance productivity and high-tech shipbuilding practices.

It also entered a supply chain partnership with Fairbanks Morse Defense and signed an education-focused MOU last year with the University of Michigan and Seoul National University to cultivate talent in the shipbuilding sector.

Under Donald Trump, the US has moved to revitalise its shipbuilding sector, which currently accounts for less than 1% of global output. Another Korean shipbuilding major, Hanwha Ocean, has vowed to transform Philly Shipyard, which it acquired last year.