HJ Heavy Industries landed two defense contracts worth 67.7 billion won ($52 million) to overhaul South Korean naval vessels, expanding its maritime maintenance portfolio.
The Korean shipbuilder will perform maintenance and repairs on the Dokdo amphibious transport ship under a 42.3 billion won contract from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. A separate 25.4 billion won deal covers work on high-speed landing craft.
The projects involve comprehensive maintenance including disassembly, inspection and repair of key systems. This follows the company’s November contract to upgrade weapon systems on 18 guided missile patrol boats.
HJ Heavy Industries built the original Dokdo vessel, which launched in 2007 as South Korea’s first large transport ship capable of carrying troops, vehicles and aircraft. CEO Yu Sang-cheol said the company’s 50-year track record in naval construction helped secure the new maintenance work.
The contracts may boost the shipbuilder’s efforts to expand into overseas maintenance markets, particularly in the US. The company previously won a performance improvement project for the Dokdo in 2022.
The Defense Acquisition Program Administration awarded the contracts after a competitive bidding process that included technical qualification reviews.
