U.S. senator lauds Hanwha's role in revitalizing U.S. shipbuilding industry
Republican Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania said that Hanwha's planned $5 billion investment in Philadelphia, part of Korea's broader $350 billion commitment to the United States, would help substantially expand the U.S. shipyard's production capacity.
U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick answers questions from Korean reporters at a hotel in Seoul on Oct. 8.
YONHAP
A U.S. senator on Friday highlighted Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group’s growing role in revitalizing the U.S. shipbuilding industry, saying that its investment in a Philadelphia shipyard is already creating jobs and transferring advanced manufacturing technologies to the United States.
Republican Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania made the remarks during a discussion hosted by the Hudson Institute in Washington, following his recent visit to 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 Korea’s broader efforts to revive the U.S. shipbuilding industry under the MASGA, or “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again,” initiative.
McCormick said that he witnessed Korean workers collaborating with their American counterparts at the Philadelphia facility, introducing advanced shipbuilding techniques and automation technologies.
He also said that Hanwha’s planned $5 billion investment in Philadelphia, part of Korea’s broader $350 billion commitment to the United States, would help substantially expand the U.S. shipyard’s production capacity.
The senator stressed that rebuilding the United States’ shipbuilding capacity is critical to strengthening its defense industrial base and competing with China, noting that the country 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 Korea and Japan could play important roles in rebuilding U.S. shipbuilding and defense manufacturing capabilities.
McCormick then emphasized that investment from close allies would benefit both sides by bringing advanced technologies and manufacturing expertise to the United States while providing foreign companies with opportunities to expand their presence in the U.S. market.
Yonhap
