Post #6016

🇰🇷South Korea Breaks Ground on Second Combat Support Ship A steel-cutting ceremony was held at Hanwha Ocean's shipyard in Geoje on April 29, marking the start of construction on South Korea's second auxiliary oil, ammunition and equipment ship (AOE-II), as reported by DAPA. The program, valued at ₩531.5 billion (~$360 million), was launched in 2024 as a follow-on to the 10,000-ton logistics vessel Soyang, commissioned in 2018. The new ship will feature a domestically-developed integrated engineering control system managing propulsion, power, and auxiliary systems through a single network. The vessel reflects a broader push to deepen South Korea's naval logistics capacity, with upgraded surveillance, noise reduction, and improved crew systems built in from the design stage. DAPA explicitly framed the program as a platform to expand South Korean shipbuilding export opportunities, including in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) — a sector where Korean yards are actively competing for international contracts. The AOE-II program positions Hanwha Ocean as a key node in South Korea's defense-industrial base, reinforcing the dual civil-military shipbuilding model Seoul has been scaling. #SouthKorea @asianomics