Washington: Hanwha Group has secured its first U.S. Navy project as a subcontractor for a next-generation logistics ship project, marking a major new step for the group in the American defense market, the group said Tuesday. Hanwha Defense USA (HDUSA) and Hanwha Philly Shipyard, the South Korean group's U.S. subsidiaries, were selected as subcontractors to collaborate with Vard Marine US Inc. for the U.S. Navy's Next Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) program, according to Hanwha Group. Financial terms of the contract were not released.

According to Yonhap News Agency, under the contract, Hanwha will collaborate with Vard Marine US on a market survey, concept design, and refinement of the NGLS platform, while also supporting manufacturing assessments, commercial shipbuilding practices, and production cost evaluations. The contract also includes options for functional design planning and additional studies for the project.

The deal marks the first U.S. Navy contract awarded to HDUSA since its establishment and Hanwha's acquisition of the Philly Shipyard. Since December 2024, Hanwha has invested more than US$200 million to upgrade the shipyard's workforce, capabilities, and production capacity.

Separately, Hanwha Ocean Co., the South Korean parent company of Hanwha Philly Shipyard, is currently providing maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for the Charles Drew, which is the third U.S. naval vessel to undergo MRO service by the South Korean shipbuilder.

"This award represents an important step in our ability to leverage our world-class shipbuilding expertise in building the ships the Navy needs to support our service members deployed in contested maritime domains," Tom Anderson, president of shipbuilding at HDUSA, said.