Report: Hanwha Ocean Won Third Repair Job for USNS Support Ship

South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean has reportedly won its third maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) contract for a USNS support ship as the group marks one year since it was certified to bid for projects related to the U.S. Navy’s noncombatant vessels. It comes at a critical time as South Korea continues to look to provide shipbuilding and repair to the U.S. and has linked the sector to the ongoing trade talks with the Trump administration.

Korean news agency Yonhap reports that Hanwha Ocean secured an MRO contract for the USNS Charles Drew. A Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship, the Drew was placed into service in 2011 and is operating to support the U.S. 7th Fleet. At 41,000 tons displacement, the vessel is capable of supporting at-sea replenishment for ammunition, food, repair parts, stores, and small quantities of fuel.

The report says Charles Drew will be arriving at the Hanwha yard in Geoje, South Korea later this month and is expected to be delivered back to the Navy by the end of the year. It would mark the second repair job Hanwha Ocean conducted for this class after its first contract for the USNS Wally Schirra, which arrived at the yard in September 2024 and was redelivered to the Navy in March 2025. The work included more than 300 work items addressing hull corrosion, a full rudder replacement, and upgrades to systems. Hanwha Ocean also won an MRO for the replenishment oiler USNS Yukon.

Hanwha Ocean was the second Korean shipyard to be certified under the program following HD Hyundai, but became the first to secure contracts. The company has said it looks to expand the MRO business, while its success is reported to have drawn the interest of other Korean yards to apply for the program.

Korea’s shipbuilding industry remains optimistic that it can play a key role in supporting the U.S. and the Trump administration’s goals. Reuters quoted South Korea’s trade minister as saying that the U.S. is looking to tap Korea as a strategic partner as it works to counter China’s dominance of the shipbuilding sector. 

Shipbuilding has been reported to be a key element of the ongoing trade talks between South Korea and the United States. Last week, in an effort to pressure South Korea, Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would impose a 25 percent tariff on Korean goods as of August 1. The Korean trade minister said the U.S. is pressing his country to take more energy and agricultural imports.

Korean officials said over the weekend that progress was being made in the trade talks and predicted that an “in-principle” agreement would be possible by the August 1 deadline. Reuters reports there are discussions with U.S. officials over cooperation in key industrial sectors without naming shipbuilding or other segments.

The reports indicate that Korea is anxious to protect its car industry. Hyundai’s sales in the U.S. have grown dramatically under the prior trade deals. Reuters said South Korea earned a record $55.6 billion trade surplus with the United States in 2024. That represented a 25 percent increase, led by car exports.