Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) has established a strategic partnership with a U.S. shipbuilder and embarked on full-fledged activities for business collaboration.
On the 26th, SHI announced signing of MOU for a strategic partnership with Vigor Marine Group (VMG) to collaborate on maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of U.S. Navy auxiliary ships, which took place on the 25th (local time) in Washington, DC.
Vigor Marine Group is a U.S. shipbuilding specialist that provides marine services, including U.S. naval maintenance and modernization, as well as construction of vessels for special missions. The company operates specialized docks certified by NAVSEA, fabrication facilities, and provides repair services in four states including Oregon, Washington, California and Virginia.
Utilizing SHI’s state-of-the-art technology in shipbuilding and offshore sector, operational experience, and top-tier facilities, SHI and VMG will collaborate to explore innovative solutions for providing MRO services to U.S. Navy and Military Sealift Command (MSC).
Based on the achievements of our MRO business cooperation, Samsung Heavy Industries plans to broaden the scope of collaboration to include commercial and specialized vessels, while actively pursuing joint construction projects with our U.S. partner to ensure that Samsung Heavy Industries’ technological capabilities contribute to the revitalization of the U.S. shipbuilding industry. Additionally, we are considering securing additional partner shipyards for further cooperation.
“Samsung Heavy Industries is proud to work with the representative U.S. shipbuilding company, Vigor Marine Group,” said Sung-an Choi, Chief Executive Officer & Vice Chairman of Samsung Heavy Industries. “Through our close cooperation, we will do our utmost to deliver world-class MRO services. Building on this achievement, we are committed to establishing a solid foundation to undertake the construction of U.S. commercial vessels and naval auxiliary ships.”
“Our strategic partnership will increase MRO capacity in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Francesco Valente, Chief Executive Officer & President of Vigor Marine Group. “By ensuring the highest level of quality, we will contribute to strengthening the U.S. naval capabilities.”
In addition, Samsung Heavy Industries plans to expand its cooperation beyond joint construction with U.S. shipyards to fostering shipbuilding equipment clusters, establishing training centers for skilled shipbuilding workers and developing seafarer-training programs in the U.S. by actively leveraging its core soft-competitiveness including fruitful experience and valuable insights.
SHI also plans to continuously expand joint construction projects with shipyards outside the United States, including those in Southeast Asia.