U.S. Reaches Out to Korean Shipbuilders... MASGA Gains Momentum [Yang Nakkyu's Defence Club]

U.S. Requests RFI for Warships and Replenishment Oilers from Korean Shipyards

It appears that momentum is building for the Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation project, known as MASGA. With military tensions once again rising in the Strait of Hormuz, it has been confirmed that the United States has officially sounded out the capabilities of the Korean shipbuilding industry in naval vessel construction and design.

According to the defense industry on July 8, the U.S. Department of Defense (War Department) and the Navy recently sent Requests for Information (RFIs) regarding combat ships and replenishment oilers to domestic shipbuilders. This is the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump took office and the Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation project MASGA gained traction that the U.S. has inquired into the capabilities of Korean shipyards for naval vessels in the form of an RFI. According to the U.S. Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), an RFI is a procedure in which the government collects price, delivery conditions, and other market information for planning purposes.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Hanwha Ocean, the two largest domestic special-purpose shipbuilders, reportedly submitted their combat ship design and construction capabilities to the U.S. Department of Defense in May. In response to the U.S. Navy’s RFI on medium-sized replenishment oilers, a total of three companies—including Samsung Heavy Industries—replied. Among them, Hanwha Ocean is moving the fastest. After acquiring the Philadelphia Shipyard in Pennsylvania, Hanwha is now in the process of obtaining a license to construct combat ships.

This latest RFI procedure is drawing particular attention, as it coincides with the timing of President Trump's recent remarks specifying the number of warships to be built. President Lee Jaemyung previously stated that, during the recent Group of Seven (G7) summit, President Trump asked, "Can you quickly build 10 U.S. warships?"

The issue, however, lies with U.S. law. The construction of U.S. naval vessels at foreign shipyards is virtually prohibited by the Banse-Tollefson Amendment. Some cautiously anticipate that, as military tensions in the Strait of Hormuz rise again, there could be a movement to ease these legal regulations regarding U.S. naval vessels.

On July 7 (local time), the U.S. Central Command announced that it had launched strong airstrikes against Iran in response to attacks on merchant ships by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz. Earlier that day, the U.S. Department of the Treasury revoked waivers on the sale of Iranian crude oil for the same reason. The interpretation is that the United States is simultaneously ramping up both economic and military pressure on Iran for its continued attacks on merchant shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, significantly raising the level of warning.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.