- Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Center (KUSPC) opens on July 23, strengthening partnership for U.S. business

· Collaboration expands to LNG bunkering vessel and autonomous maritime technologies, as well as workforce training

· Signs Korea-U.S. collaborative R&D agreements with U.S. universities and companies 

Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) is expanding comprehensive cooperation with the U.S. shipbuilding industry by leveraging its advanced shipbuilding technologies and shipyard operation expertise.

SHI announced that it participated in the opening ceremony of the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Center (KUSPC), held on July 23 (local time) at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., where it signed a series of agreements to strengthen its U.S. business.

Established under Korea`s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR), the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Center aims to support joint research between Korean and U.S. shipbuilders while facilitating communication and collaboration among governments and industry.

The opening ceremony was attended by Jung Kwan Kim, Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources, and Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, along with government and industry representatives from both countries. Samsung Heavy Industries was represented by Sung An Choi, Vice Chairman and CEO and Kyung Hee Kim, Head of Future Business Division (Vice President), while officials from Korea’s three major shipbuilders attended.

During the ceremony, SHI actively pursued initiatives to strengthen cooperation for its U.S. business.

SHI and Conrad Shipyard jointly received Approval in Principle (AiP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for the basic design of a 12,000-cbm LNG bunkering barge currently under joint development.

The achievement follows the cooperation framework established by the two companies in December last year for the joint construction of LNG bunkering barge and reflects the successful completion of the vessel’s concept design for construction in the United States.

Samsung Heavy Industries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Saronic Technologies, a startup specializing in the design and scaled manufacturing of autonomous maritime systems, to establish a strategic business partnership.

Under the MoU, the two companies will explore advanced development of autonomy and AI-powered digital solutions while also cooperating on the establishment of production infrastructure, including robotics-based process automation.

Separately, SHI further expanded its cooperation with its U.S. MRO partner, Vigor Marine Group (VMG), by signing a Joint Development Agreement (JDA) to establish a training center in the northwestern United States. 

The training center will help secure skilled welding and painting personnel essential for shipbuilding and ship repair operations. It will leverage SHI’s advanced technologies and expertise, including VR/AR-based welding and painting facilities and training programs.

In addition, at the Korea-U.S. International Joint R&D Agreement Signing Ceremony held alongside the opening ceremony, Samsung Heavy Industries signed research agreements with UCLA and Miller, a U.S. manufacturer of welding equipment, to develop an AI-based stainless steel spool manufacturing system. The company also entered into a research agreement with the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas), San Diego State University (SDSU), and California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) to develop a virtual training system for shipbuilding workers.

“Our shipbuilding cooperation initiatives with the United States, which we have been preparing for over the past several years, will reach a new milestone through today’s opening of the Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Center,” said Sung An Choi, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Heavy Industries. “Leveraging our technological capabilities, we will do our utmost to usher in a new renaissance for the Korea-U.S. shipbuilding and maritime industries.”