From left: Kim Jung-kwan, minister of trade, industry and resources, Jung In-sub, president and head of the management support office at Hanwha Ocean, Mike Rickels, senior vice president for maritime at Leidos, and Howard Lutnick, US secretary of commerce, pose for a photo after signing a professional services agreement on Thursday at the opening ceremony of the Korea-US Shipbuilding Partnership Center in Washington. (Hanwha Ocean) Hanwha Ocean has signed three agreements in the US covering joint ship design, workforce training and supply chain development, as the South Korean shipbuilder moves to strengthen its local business base and expand bilateral shipbuilding cooperation.At the opening ceremony of the Korea-US Shipbuilding Partnership Center in Washington on Thursday, the company signed a professional services agreement for the design of the Global Fast Sealift with Leidos Gibbs & Cox. This follows a memorandum of understanding signed in April 2025 on strengthening vessel drying capabilities.Under the agreement, the two companies will begin the joint design of the GFS and pursue joint technology development. By combining Hanwha Ocean’s naval shipbuilding capabilities with Leidos’ ship design and engineering expertise, the companies aim to deliver a reliable and proven platform to the US and global markets.The GFS is designed to support commercial shipping during peacetime while providing rapid military sealift during wartime. Being a dual-use platform, it offers a solution capable of meeting diverse requirements across the US and global naval vessel markets.Hanwha Ocean signed a memorandum of understanding for shipbuilding technology training and development cooperation with Hanwha Philly Shipyard and Delaware County Community College.The parties plan to help address workforce demands across the US shipbuilding industry by developing instructor training programs to cultivate highly skilled shipbuilding professionals.Hanwha Ocean also signed a memorandum of understanding for supply chain cooperation with Hanwha Philly Shipyard, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Philadelphia Growth Partnership.Through the agreement, the parties will work together to identify local suppliers and promote collaboration across the regional industrial ecosystem to contribute to a stronger US shipbuilding supply chain and support the expansion of the shipyard’s production capabilities.