ABS has teamed up with South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) to work on a project that will help design a U.S.-flagged oil and chemical tanker with a deadweight tonnage of 50,000. This initiative i...
ABS has teamed up with South Korea's HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) to work on a project that will help design a U.S.-flagged oil and chemical tanker with a deadweight tonnage of 50,000. This initiative is part of a larger effort to strengthen U.S.-Korean collaboration in shipbuilding, as the U.S. aims to boost its domestic maritime capabilities.
As part of this agreement, ABS will evaluate the design of the tanker from HD HHI to ensure it meets ABS classification standards and U.S. Coast Guard regulations. The goal is to prepare this design for potential inclusion in the U.S.-flag fleet, responding to the increasing interest in shipbuilding and maritime industrial policies.
“Our expertise, from developing the first 100,000 DWT tankers to today’s latest designs, has enabled ship owners and operators to achieve their objectives with a strong emphasis on safety,” said Patrick Ryan, ABS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. “This partnership with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries showcases our ongoing commitment to providing innovative solutions for the next generation of U.S.-flagged ships.”
HD HHI stated that this effort aims to utilize its knowledge in building medium-range tankers while ensuring compliance with the specific regulations that come with U.S.-flag operations.
“HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has vast experience and technical skills in designing and constructing 50,000 DWT tankers,” said Dongjin Lee, Executive Vice President of HD HHI. “With the rising demand for U.S.-flagged vessels due to revitalization policies in U.S. shipbuilding, we are collaborating closely with ABS to meet the particular technical requirements set by the Coast Guard.”
This announcement arrives as the United States seeks more international partnerships to revive its shipbuilding industry, which has seen a decline in commercial vessel construction over several decades.
In the last year, HD Hyundai has become one of the more prominent foreign shipbuilding partners exploring opportunities in the U.S. Back in October 2025, HD HHI and U.S. shipbuilder HII signed a memorandum of agreement to look into distributed shipbuilding, joint investments, and cooperations on both commercial and naval vessel projects.
This agreement built upon earlier collaborations between the companies and included plans to pursue auxiliary shipbuilding for the U.S. Navy, work together on advanced technologies like artificial intelligence and automation, and enhance support for U.S. naval operations in the Indo-Pacific region.
The tanker project between ABS and HD HHI mirrors a trend in the commercial shipbuilding sector, with foreign builders increasingly preparing to support potential growth in U.S.-flag vessel construction while adhering to U.S. regulatory needs.
ABS operates as a recognized organization for the U.S. Coast Guard and is permitted to conduct certain delegated statutory surveys, design reviews, and certification tasks on behalf of the agency for qualifying U.S.-flag vessels.
This initiative also aligns with broader efforts by the previous administration to expand domestic shipbuilding capabilities and strengthen America's maritime industrial foundation through partnerships with allied shipbuilding nations.
While no construction contract has been finalized yet, developing a tanker design compliant with U.S. regulations may offer owners an additional option if the demand for Jones Act or other U.S.-flagged vessels rises in the coming years.