HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HII Execute Memorandum of Agreement to Collaborate on Distributed Shipbuilding and Pursue Teaming on Auxiliary and Commercial Vessels

Rhea-AI Summary

HII (NYSE: HII) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a memorandum of agreement on October 26, 2025 at APEC 2025 to advance U.S.–Korea shipbuilding collaboration.

The MOA targets four priorities: distributed shipbuilding and joint investments, teaming on Navy auxiliary shipbuilding, joint engineering/R&D in AI/ML, robotics and automation, and in-theater life-cycle support. The companies agreed in early October 2025 to pursue the U.S. Navy NGLS concept design RFP together, and earlier MOUs and site visits (Ingalls yard visit in early October; USNS Alan Shepard overhaul in September) are cited as steps in the collaboration.

Positive

• MOA signed on October 26, 2025 to formalize collaboration
• Joint pursuit of the U.S. Navy NGLS concept design RFP (early October 2025)
• Planned collaboration on AI/ML, robotics and automation for shipbuilding

Negative

• No financial terms or capital commitments disclosed in the MOA
• MOA expands prior MOUs but does not announce awarded contracts or revenue

Insights

Maritime industrial strategy analyst

A strategic MOA links two major shipbuilders to jointly pursue U.S. Navy programs and expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity.

At its core, this memorandum formalizes collaboration between HII and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries to pursue teaming on auxiliary and commercial vessels and to explore distributed shipbuilding and joint investments. The partnership targets the U.S. Navy’s procurement pipeline, including a joint response to the next‑generation logistics ship (NGLS) concept design request for proposal, and adds engineering, AI/ML, robotics, and lifecycle support cooperation.

The outcome depends on several concrete dependencies and risks. Progress requires approvals or contracts from the U.S. Navy and engagement from U.S. and South Korean governments; commercial benefit is contingent on winning specific programs and on successful capital and capability deployment within the United States. Potential integration challenges include technical alignment, production cadence, and regulatory or national‑security reviews mentioned implicitly by the focus on U.S. shipbuilding industrial base strengthening.

Watch for three near-term signals: the companies’ formal teaming agreement for the NGLS concept design and any U.S. Navy award decision, announcements of joint U.S. production investments, and remarks from the Future Tech Forum keynote on October 27. Expect these items to resolve impact over the coming 6–18 months as contracting and investment plans become public.

GYEONGJU, South Korea, Oct. 26, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HII (NYSE: HII) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI), two of the world’s leading shipbuilders, signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) today at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) 2025 forum to advance the objectives of the shipbuilding dialogue between the United States and Republic of Korea. The signing event was attended by Joo Won-ho, president of the Naval & Special Ship Business Unit at HHI, and Eric Chewning, HII’s executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy.

“This marks the beginning of deeper collaboration between not only our companies, but each of our countries, that will support enduring changes to military and commercial shipbuilding in America,” Chewning said. “We look forward to working collaboratively with HHI, the U.S. and South Korean governments, and with our customers to transform the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base and enable accelerated throughput in our shipyards.”

A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://hii.com/news/hd-hyundai-heavy-industries-and-hii-execute-memorandum-of-agreement-to-collaborate-on-distributed-shipbuilding-and-pursue-teaming-on-auxiliary-and-commercial-vessels/.

This MOA builds on previous collaboration between the two companies and expands strategic engagement around four key priorities:

• Strengthen and expand the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base through the exploration of joint investments in distributed shipbuilding and flexible ship construction.
• Pursue strategic teaming opportunities for Navy auxiliary shipbuilding programs leveraging the combined expertise of both companies.
• Collaborate on engineering, research & development and technology implementation best practices in areas such as AI/ML, robotics and automation.
• Strengthen U.S. Navy Indo-Pacific in-theater ship lifecycle support.

Demonstrating the strong pace of collaboration, in early October, the two companies agreed to jointly pursue the U.S. Navy’s next-generation logistics ship (NGLS) design contract. Leveraging HII’s complex shipbuilding experience and HHI’s expertise with proven designs in use with the Royal New Zealand and South Korean navies, the two companies will team to respond to the U.S. Navy’s recent request for proposal (RFP) for the concept design phase of the NGLS program.

“Through joint participation in U.S. Navy procurement programs and investments aimed at establishing ship production bases in the United States, the two nations’ key industries are taking a major step toward deeper strategic collaboration,” HHI President Joo Won-ho said. “We are confident that this partnership will generate powerful synergies by combining Korea’s cutting-edge shipbuilding technologies with the U.S. defense sector’s strong market competitiveness.”

HHI has a strong track record in this field, having delivered its first auxiliary vessel, HMNZS Endeavour, to New Zealand in 1987, followed by the HMNZS Aotearoa in 2020. The company has also supplied the Republic of Korea Navy with three Cheonji-class and one Soyang-class auxiliary ships, demonstrating its proven competitiveness.

Eric Chewning will be delivering a keynote speech on “Strategic Collaboration Between the U.S. and Korea in Shipbuilding” at the Future Tech Forum hosted by HD Hyundai on October 27 as part of the APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025. He is expected to highlight the achievements of the partnership between the two companies and outline the future direction of bilateral cooperation in the shipbuilding sector.

Earlier in April, HHI signed an MOU with HII to share best practices to improve cost efficiency and shorten construction schedules as well as explore opportunities to expand U.S. shipbuilding capacity in support of national security. In early October, executives and technical staff from HHI’s Naval & Special Ship Business Unit visited HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding yard in Mississippi to strengthen the collaboration and to support future shipbuilding initiatives. In September, HHI began a regular overhaul of the 41,000-ton fleet dry cargo and ammunition ship, USNS Alan Shepard, assigned to the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, further strengthening cooperation between HHI and the United States in the shipbuilding sector.

About HII

HII is a global, all-domain defense provider. HII’s mission is to deliver the world’s most powerful ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around the world.

As the nation’s largest military shipbuilder, and with a more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in Virginia, HII’s workforce is 44,000 strong. For more information, visit:

• HII on the web: https://www.HII.com/
• HII on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamHII
• HII on X: https://www.twitter.com/WeAreHII
• HII on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/WeAreHII

About HHI:

HHI is the world’s number one shipbuilder, leads the global shipbuilding industry with roughly 10% share of the market. It had delivered more than 2,300 ships to 335 shipowners in 51 countries until 2023.

As a licensed national defense industrial shipbuilder and engineering consultant for the Republic of Korean Navy, has the technology to design and build modern and reliable surface and underwater combatants and auxiliary support vessels of various proven and advanced hull forms.

With 50 years of naval shipbuilding experience and accumulated warship technology, HHI operates as one of the most reputable naval shipbuilders in the world. For more information, visit:

• HHI on the web: HD Hyundai Heavy Industries
• LinkedIn:
  • https://kr.linkedin.com/company/hd-hyundai (HD Hyundai)
  • https://kr.linkedin.com/company/hd-hyundai-heavy-industries-co-ltd (HHI)
• Instagram: 
  • https://www.instagram.com/hd.hyundai?igsh=cWs3bnFtbHhrZjJr (HD Hyundai)
  • https://www.instagram.com/hd.hhi?igsh=MXJqM3MyejVpdWphOQ== (HHI)

HII Contact: 
Danny Hernandez
Danny.J.Hernandez@HII-co.com
(240) 264-7143

HHI Contact:
Billie Lee
Billie.Lee@hd.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/bf183995-16f0-4503-918f-9d6a8a82f718

FAQ

What did HII (NYSE: HII) and HD Hyundai announce on October 26, 2025?

They signed an MOA to collaborate on distributed shipbuilding and pursue teaming on auxiliary and commercial vessels.

Will HII and HD Hyundai pursue the U.S. Navy NGLS program together in 2025?

Yes; the companies agreed in early October 2025 to jointly pursue the U.S. Navy NGLS concept design RFP.

What are the four priorities in the HII and HD Hyundai MOA dated October 26, 2025?

Distributed shipbuilding investments; Navy auxiliary teaming; R&D in AI/ML, robotics and automation; and in-theater ship lifecycle support.

Does the October 26, 2025 MOA include financial commitments or contract awards for HII?

No; the MOA does not disclose financial terms, capital commitments, or awarded contracts.

What recent activities preceded the HII and HD Hyundai MOA in 2025?

Early October site visits to HII's Ingalls yard and a September overhaul of USNS Alan Shepard are cited as prior collaboration steps.