Samsung Heavy Industries Participates in Its First U.S. Navy MASGA Project
South Korean shipbuilder Samsung Heavy Industries announced that it will be participating in its first U.S. shipbuilding project, working with General Dynamics NASSCO and DSEC. It is a design project that is being billed as part of the South Korean program launched last year, calling for a $150 billion investment project known as Make American Shipbuilding Great Again (MASGA).
The project is for the refining of the design of the future “Next Generation Logistics Support Ship,” which the U.S. Navy is currently developing as part of its “Distributed Ocean Operations” strategy. The concept is for a small vessel capable of high maneuverability and targeted, tailored operational capabilities. The program envisions as many as 13 ships to be built in the future for roles in refueling, rearming, and resupplying Navy and Marine vessels.
The project commenced in 2020 with the first concept designs. It has proceeded through several steps up to the next round of contracts awarded in March to both Houston-based Vard Marine US and General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego. This next phase is for design development and production planning for the Next Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) program. According to the solicitation, the objectives of this effort include identifying cost-effective design solutions, leveraging commercial practices and standards to the maximum extent practical to inform and validate requirements, and maximizing affordability and producibility.
Samsung Heavy Industries had announced in December 2025 that it was partnering with NASSCO and DSEC to collaborate on design projects and to enhance manufacturing capabilities. NASSCO, of course, has a long history of building ships since the 1950s for the U.S. Navy, having delivered over 150 vessels, and is currently building the John Lewis (T-AO 205) Fleet Oilers. DSEC provides a complete range of shipbuilding and marine engineering services.
NASSCO was awarded a contract valued at more than $3.9 million for the next phase of the NGLS project. It will involve both Samsung Heavy Industries and DSEC, and will run till March 20207.
Samsung Heavy Industries reports it will participate in the field of high-efficiency hull design. It says it plans to utilize its hull design technology accumulated with the world’s largest commercial test tank, measuring 400 meters in length and located at the Daedeok Research Center. It also points out that the technical cooperation with NASSCO will be enhanced by utilizing a newly established research center at San Diego State University.
It looks at this project as its entry into MASGA and a chance to further leverage its expertise to support U.S. shipbuilding. Samsung has also established a U.S. subsidiary, which will be working with Vigor to bid for U.S. government maintenance and repair projects.
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The Samsung Heavy Industries team will, oddly enough, be competing with Hanwha and the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, which is also partnering for the NGLS project. Hanwha Philly announced earlier in the week that it had won its first U.S. project, working with Vard Marine, which was awarded a parallel contract valued at $4.5 million for a similar design refinement project.
The U.S. Navy has said it is anxious to proceed with these ships as an augmentation to its capabilities with the John Lewis class. The Navy has projected that the first ships could be completed by FY 2028.
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