U.S. Navy Team Visits HJ Shipbuilding Yard in Busan, Praises MRO Work

U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command officials visit Yeongdo Shipyard — Jim Goodheart, deputy director of the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command’s ship management office, and five Navy supervisors visited HJ Shipbuilding & Construction’s Yeongdo shipyard in Busan on Feb. 12 to check maintenance work on a U.S. vessel undergoing MRO.

HJ Shipbuilding & Construction said U.S. Navy officials visited its Yeongdo shipyard in Busan on Feb. 12 to inspect maintenance, repair and overhaul work on a U.S. vessel and praised the company’s technical capabilities.

The delegation included Jim Goodheart, deputy director of the U.S. Navy Military Sealift Command’s ship management office, and five Navy supervisors, the company said on Thursday.

HJ Shipbuilding signed a contract in December for intermediate maintenance on the 40,000-ton logistics support ship Amelia Earhart. The company said it began work immediately and plans to complete required MRO and improvement work and deliver the ship to the U.S. Navy by March.

During the visit, the officials reviewed progress, shipyard operations and equipment that has already been serviced, and they praised the quality of the work, the company said. It added that the delegation also asked HJ Shipbuilding’s management for additional maintenance work beyond the scope of the existing contract, which the company expects would increase revenue and profit from its first MRO project.

Chief Executive Yoo Sang-cheol said the company is focusing on schedule and quality control to meet the U.S. Navy’s requirements. “We will concentrate all of the company’s capabilities on meeting the delivery schedule and delivering a high-quality ship so this project can serve as a foundation for building trust with the U.S. Navy,” Yoo said.

* This article has been translated by AI.

Lee nakyeong