Samsung Heavy Industries said Thursday that executives from General Dynamics NASSCO visited its shipyard in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, to discuss cooperation, including on the US Navy’s next-generation logistics ship program.
The meeting brought together Vice Chairman Choi Sung-an and GD NASSCO President David J. Carver, along with senior officials from both sides.
The US firm expressed interest in leveraging Samsung Heavy technologies for the design and construction of the logistics ships, while Samsung Heavy pledged collaboration across the value chain to meet US Navy requirements and improve efficiency. The two sides also agreed to deepen cooperation in automation and other technologies.
The US delegation toured Samsung Heavy’s automated fabrication shops and VR-based training facilities for safety and painting.
The fabrication shop uses digital twin technology to enable remote operations and robotic welding based on 3D CAD data, part of the company’s push toward automated, unmanned shipyards.
Samsung Heavy said it aimed to expand technology exports beyond shipbuilding into solution-based offerings through such collaborations, while GD NASSCO seeks to strengthen the competitiveness of the US shipbuilding industry.
“The visit marks a meaningful step in strengthening our strategic partnership,” Choi said, adding that combining GD NASSCO’s production base with Samsung Heavy’s automation capabilities could drive innovation in both countries’ shipbuilding sectors.
jwjeon7625@heraldcorp.com
