U.S. senator hails Hanwha's role in revitalizing American shipbuilding industry

By Chang Dong-woo

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. senator highlighted on Friday South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group's growing role in revitalizing the American shipbuilding industry, saying its investment in a Philadelphia shipyard is already creating jobs and transferring advanced manufacturing technologies to the United States.

Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) made the remarks during a discussion hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington, following his recent visit to South Korea, where he toured one of Hanwha's shipyards and observed its advanced production facilities.

"There's now 2,200," McCormick said, referring to the number of workers at Philly Shipyard, which he said employed about 1,000 people when Hanwha acquired it. "So they've already hired 1,000 new people, so it's moving very quickly."

Hanwha's U.S. expansion is part of South Korea's broader efforts to revive the U.S. shipbuilding industry under the MASGA, or "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again," initiative.

McCormick said he witnessed Korean workers collaborating with their American counterparts at the Philadelphia facility, introducing advanced shipbuilding techniques and automation technologies.

He said Hanwha's planned US$5 billion investment in Philadelphia, part of South Korea's broader $350 billion investment commitment to the United States, would help substantially expand the American shipyard's production capacity.

The senator stressed that rebuilding America's shipbuilding capacity is critical to strengthening its defense industrial base and competing with China, noting that the United States currently accounts for less than 1 percent of global shipbuilding.

"The Hanwha shipbuilding deal is critical to that, and that's just the beginning," he said, adding that South Korea and Japan could play important roles in rebuilding American shipbuilding and defense manufacturing capabilities.

McCormick also emphasized that investment from close allies would benefit both sides by bringing advanced technologies and manufacturing expertise to the U.S. while providing foreign companies with opportunities to expand their presence in the American market.

odissy@yna.co.kr
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