Hanwha Ocean Co., a shipbuilding and defense industry unit of South Korea’s Hanwha Group, said Friday that it has hosted collaborative events with local companies in Poland as part of its efforts to secure the East European country’s submarine modernization project.
On Tuesday, the company held the “Hanwha Ocean Poland Industry Day” event in Gdansk, a port city on the Baltic coast of northern Poland.
Representatives from Hanwha Ocean’s domestic and international partners, along with global defense firms, such as Babcock International Group and Gabler, participated in the event.
Hanwha Ocean said these partners are key suppliers for its Changbogo-III submarine and they networked with 12 Polish defense firms, including the state-run PGZ Group, during the event.
Hanwha Ocean said “Industrial Day” was designed to promote collaborative business opportunities among Hanwha Ocean, its existing partners and Polish companies that can be part of the supply chain for the Poland government’s flagship Orka submarine p
rogram.
The Orka project aims to modernize and fortify the country’s maritime defense by procuring advanced vessels to serve as deterrents in the Baltic Sea.
During the event, Hanwha Ocean expressed its commitment to providing the Polish Navy with high-performance submarines through the Orka project and contributing to the Polish industry through technology transfer and localization.
It also plans to cooperate with the Polish Navy on transferring submarine maintenance technologies and licenses, including establishing a local support center so that the Polish Navy can conduct its own submarine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).
After the event, in addition, PGZ Group and Hanwha Ocean agreed to submit their joint MRO plan to the Polish Navy, the Korean company said.
Under the Orka project, the Polish government will procure three submarines and has plans to select the preferred bidder in the first half of next year.
“This event marks the beginning of a long-term partnership that Hanwha Ocean intends
to build with Poland through the Orka project,” Hanwha Ocean said. “The Orka project will serve as a stepping stone to further strengthen cooperation between Korea and Poland in economic, industrial and naval development.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency
