![Kim Hyeong-gwan (left), CEO of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, and Patrick Kelly, CEO of Fraser Industries LLC, pose for a photo after signing an MOU on shipyard modernization cooperation for the revitalization of the US shipbuilding industry. [HD Hyundai]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/07/30/news-p.v1.20260730.4f39490a8b0b40acbceade9f36ec5691_P1.jpg)
HD Hyundai will support an AI-driven shipyard modernization project for a US marine maintenance, repair and operations company, the group said Thursday, as it moves to commercialize a new growth engine it has identified: a comprehensive shipyard construction solutions business.
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai's shipbuilding operations, signed an MOU with Fraser Industries LLC, a US marine MRO firm, on "shipyard modernization cooperation for the revitalization of the US shipbuilding industry."
The signing ceremony was held in Washington and attended by HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering CEO Kim Hyeong-gwan, technical adviser Shin Jong-gye, Fraser Industries CEO Patrick Kelly and other senior executives from both companies.
The two sides plan to sign a "Shipyard Modernization Consulting Program" contract before the end of the year. Under the agreement, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering will deliver a single package covering shipyard design and construction know-how, production and operations systems, and data management methods — all the elements needed to build a smart shipyard. Cooperation will extend across shipyard operations as a whole, including the introduction of robotics and automated equipment and the application of AI-based digital solutions.
HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering also intends to use the collaboration as a proof-of-concept model for rebuilding the US shipbuilding industry. Washington state is considered a key hub for that effort: Fraser Industries, Fincantieri Marine Group, Donjohn Marine and other local shipyards are jointly pursuing a US Coast Guard icebreaker project in the region.
"We are very pleased to join hands with HD Hyundai, which possesses the world's finest technology, to introduce advanced practices across all aspects of shipyard operations," Kelly said. "The cooperation between our two companies will be an important starting point for the revival of the US shipbuilding industry."
Kim said the company plans "to support Fraser's shipyard in becoming a hub for rebuilding the US shipbuilding industry by providing know-how covering everything from shipyard design to operations," adding that HD Hyundai would "expand the scope of cooperation into diverse areas and become a steadfast partner for the US shipbuilding industry."
klee@heraldcorp.com
