South Korea's leading shipbuilders are focusing on the U.S. naval market as Washington increasingly values their naval shipbuilding expertise, boosting hopes that Seoul's Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA) initiative may gain traction.
The change occurs as U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently stressed the importance of revitalizing America's shipbuilding sector while looking for reliable partners to enhance domestic capacity, with Washington evaluating the capabilities of Korean shipbuilders.
According to reports, the Pentagon and the U.S. Navy have recently submitted requests for information (RFIs) to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean regarding their capabilities in designing and constructing destroyers, while a separate request for medium-sized fleet replenishment vessels also included Samsung Heavy Industries.
This signifies the initial request of its kind following last year's mutual pact to designate $150 billion for shipbuilding collaboration under the MASGA initiative, included in Korea's larger $350 billion investment plan in the U.S.
Also Read: LG Energy Advances Tennessee LFP Cell Production
"Even though an RFI serves as an initial assessment instead of a buying procedure, it is significant that the U.S. has formally evaluated the design, construction, and yearly production capabilities of Korean shipbuilders for a possible collaboration," remarked Bae Ki-yeon, an analyst with Meritz Securities.
The announcement came just days after Korea was unsuccessful in obtaining Canada's submarine replacement program to manufacture as many as 12 submarines, estimated at up to 60 trillion won ($39.87 billion), covering maintenance and repairs.
Also Read: SK Bioscience Gets WHO GMP Approval Via Streamlined Remote Audit
Although providing competitive prices, cutting-edge submarine technology, and reasonably short delivery times, Korean shipbuilders were outperformed by Germany's TKMS, in a move widely perceived as Ottawa's strategic choice to bolster its existing alliance with NATO.
Also Read: Korea, Mongolia Discuss Critical Minerals, Korean Peninsula
The setback has led Korean shipbuilders to shift their attention to the U.S., which has been seeking methods to enhance its naval production capability through collaborations with allies due to escalating strategic rivalry with China.