Officials from a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee visited Hanwha Ocean and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries shipyards in South Korea to inspect warship building capabilities. This follows a U.S.-S. Korea summit agreement and a recent change in U.S. legislation potentially easing a ban on foreign military vessel construction.
Andrey Puchkov, CEO of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), stated at the Fleet-2026 show that the company's shipyards and design bureaus possess the competencies to develop military-technical cooperation with foreign partners, citing ongoing work with the Indian Navy.
NC AI will supply autonomous welding AI technology to Hanwha Ocean's shipbuilding sites, utilizing its 'VAETKI Vision' VLM to overcome harsh welding environment challenges.
China State Shipbuilding Corporation released a photo of a massive hull, speculated to be the world's largest naval support ship, sparking debate on the PLA Navy's future logistical capabilities for blue-water operations.
Japan has offered India design plans for Mogami-class frigates, the first time Tokyo has provided such a major weapons system to New Delhi. India plans to build the warships in domestic shipyards using Japanese materials, with each vessel costing approximately US$500 million and equipped with anti-ship and anti-aircraft missiles and torpedoes. The move aligns with India's push to localize defence production and enhance its naval capabilities as a security provider in the Indian Ocean. Japan's cabinet revised export rules on April 21 to allow such defence technology transfers.
China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu) has delivered the nation's largest LNG carrier, the 180,000-cubic-metre Celsius Georgetown, marking a significant breakthrough in large-scale clean energy carrier construction. The 298.8-metre vessel is the first of six identical ships ordered by Danish firm Celsius Shipping, with the second due in three months. China Merchants Group chairman Miao Jianmin called it the group's formal entry into the 'core global camp' of large-scale LNG shipbuilders.
At least two Swiss firms and one Singapore-based company have placed VLCC orders with Chinese shipyards in recent weeks. Switzerland's Advantage Tankers ordered two 307,000-DWT VLCCs for delivery in 2028-2029, while Geneva-based Mercuria Energy Group signed contracts worth nearly US$650 million for up to four VLCCs and two LR2 tankers. Singapore's Yangzijiang Maritime Development ordered eight VLCCs – its first venture into the large-tanker segment – with deliveries planned between 2028 and 2030.
Blue Energy, a nuclear startup co-founded by Jake Jurewicz, has raised $380 million to build reactors in shipyards using a manufacturing approach inspired by submarine construction and LNG export terminals. The company plans to construct a 1.5 gigawatt power plant in Texas, with the goal of reducing construction costs and timelines that have plagued recent U.S. nuclear projects.
