- Hanwha Ocean Co. was chosen as the preferred bidder for the AOE-II project by DAPA.
- The project is valued at $332 million, with contract signing next month.
- Delivery is scheduled for December 2028 with enhanced capacity and performance.
Hanwha Ocean Co. has been announced as the preferred bidder for South Korea’s second auxiliary oiler replenishment (AOE)-II fast combat support ship construction project. The South Korean Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) has commissioned this project, valued at 460.1 billion won ($332 million). The contract is expected to be finalized next month following technical and conditional negotiations, reports The Korea Economic Daily.
About the order
The AOE-II logistics support ship is a naval vessel designed to supply ammunition, cargo, and fuel to ships at sea. This ship can service destroyers and frigates while maneuvering at high speeds during operations. Scheduled for delivery to the Navy by December 2028, the construction will include extensive sea trials.
Hanwha Ocean plans to incorporate improvements identified from the operation of the lead ship, delivered to the Navy in 2018, into the construction of this new logistics support ship. By increasing the loading capacity by more than 2.3 times (over 10,000 tons) compared to the Cheonji-class (AOE-I) and enhancing performance aspects such as maneuvering speed, Hanwha Ocean aims to improve the operational sustainability of the Navy’s mobile task force and expand maritime sovereignty areas.
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Source: The Korea Economic Daily
