HD Hyundai has signed an agreement with Kiewit, the largest construction and engineering company in the United States, to form a shipbuilding joint venture named HD Kiewit Shipbuilding. The deal was signed in Houston on 22 Oct 2026, local time, marking HD Hyundai's expanded push into the North American market. The joint venture plans to construct a new, ground-up advanced smart shipyard on an industrial site in the United States, rather than acquiring and renovating an existing facility. Construction is set to begin in 2027, with full-scale operations targeted for 2029. The yard will be the first in the U.S. to apply HD Hyundai's "Future of Shipyard" model, incorporating digital twin technology, automated production systems and robotic welding across design and manufacturing to establish a data-based operating system aimed at improving productivity and addressing the U.S. shipbuilding labor shortage. HD Kiewit Shipbuilding intends to pursue opportunities in U.S. Navy logistics support vessels and commercial shipbuilding, while also exploring the manufacture and supply of ship blocks and modules to other American shipyards. The partners plan to eventually extend cooperation into port infrastructure. Once fully operational, the shipyard is expected to create about 3,000 local jobs, with HD Hyundai committing to worker training through its own technical education programs. Choi Han-nae, head of the Planning Division at HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, called the venture a milestone in strengthening Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation. Chad Johnson, CEO of Kiewit Maritime, said the partnership would combine Kiewit's infrastructure capabilities with HD Hyundai's technical expertise to build a modern shipyard. The companies will now proceed with site selection and design work.
