On April 26 (local time), HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Vice President Park Yong-yeol, head of the shipbuilding and naval vessels business division (photo right), and James Davies, CEO of Davie Shipbuilding, pose for a commemorative picture during their visit to the Ottawa office of Davie Shipbuilding in Canada. Photo=HD Hyundai Heavy Industries
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has gone into a last-minute push to expand cooperation with local shipyards in order to win an order for a Canadian submarine acquisition program. The company is moving quickly to target the North American market with its ‘K-Defense One Team’ strategy that combines South Korea’s shipbuilding and defense technology with Canada’s local infrastructure.
According to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (Vice Chairman Lee Sang-gyun) on the 28th, the two companies’ executives met on April 26 (local time) at the Ottawa office of Davie Shipbuilding in Ottawa, Canada, to discuss strategic cooperation measures across the shipbuilding and naval vessels business.
Attending the meeting were Park Yong-yeol, head of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ naval vessels business division, James Davies, CEO of Davie Shipbuilding, and others.
At the meeting, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries introduced the world No. 1 shipbuilding technology and its competitive edge in K-submarines, and exchanged views on ways to expand cooperation on naval vessels business that the two sides can jointly contribute to the development of Canada’s shipbuilding industry.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries CI. Photo=HD Hyundai Heavy Industries
Davie Shipbuilding, based in Quebec, Canada, is the country’s largest shipyard that has built a range of vessel types—including icebreakers, offshore plants, and military support ships—since the early 19th century. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries expects it can expand the scope of cooperation to the Arctic region market as well, since it has Finland’s Helsinki Shipyard as a subsidiary.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries executives also carried out K-submarine promotional activities in Canada. Led by President Joo Won-ho, the executives recently attended the Dosan Ahn Chang-ho ship arrival event held at a naval base in British Columbia, Canada, and a reception hosted by the Canadian embassy, where they actively introduced local officials to the submarine technology.
Also, in May, executives from Canada’s Irving Shipbuilding visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ headquarters in Ulsan to directly confirm its naval vessel construction capabilities and advanced technology. Irving Shipbuilding, located in Nova Scotia, Canada, is one of Canada’s top three shipyards and plays a key role in building naval vessels for the Canadian Navy.
In early May, executives from Canada’s Irving Shipbuilding visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ headquarters in Ulsan and took a commemorative photo in front of a bust of the founder Chung-Ju-young Jeong (photo left from the sixth person: HD Hyundai Heavy Industries President Joo Won-ho, Dirk Lesko, president of Irving Shipbuilding). Photo=HD Hyundai Heavy Industries
Earlier, HD Hyundai also proposed a large-scale offset trade plan in January for winning an order for Canada’s submarine business. It is a cooperation plan worth tens of trillions of won that includes expanding imports of Canadian crude oil through HD Hyundai Oilbank, transferring shipbuilding construction technology to local shipyards, and providing consulting on submarine maintenance and repairs.
Industry analyses have suggested that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is raising its competitiveness in the order race by presenting not only submarine supply but also a model for nurturing local industry and supporting long-term cooperation.
HD Hyundai Heavy Industries President Joo Won-ho said, “We are expanding cooperation with Canada’s representative shipyards in the areas of shipbuilding and naval vessel business,” adding, “We will do our best to ensure that the K-Defense One Team can win the Canadian submarine business order.”