SEOUL, South Korea, July 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HD Hyundai shared on Saturday, July 25, that it recently signed a contract with Washington United Terminals Inc. (WUT) to supply four port cranes.
HD Hyundai Samho signed a contract with WUT, a U.S. subsidiary of HMM, to supply four port cranes to the Port of Tacoma, Washington, USA. (From left: Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources; Lee Joon-hyuk, Executive Vice President and Head of Industrial Plant & Machinery Division at HD Hyundai Samho; Kim Shin, CEO of HMM America; Zachary Thomas, Chief Operating Officer of WUT; and Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce.)
HD Hyundai Samho, a shipbuilding subsidiary of HD Hyundai, is now launching the Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation initiative, known as the MASGA (Make American Shipbuilding Great Again) project, through its entry into the U.S. port crane market.
The contract was signed as part of a terminal modernization project to replace aging cranes at WUT, the U.S. subsidiary of HMM, South Korea’s largest shipping company, and expand the terminal’s capacity to accommodate larger container vessels.
WUT currently operates eight quay cranes at the Port of Tacoma, four of which were supplied by HD Hyundai Samho in 1999. The project involves replacing two aging quay cranes with new cranes and adding two new yard cranes. Through the project, both companies expect to enhance port cargo-handling capabilities, expand capacity for larger vessels, and improve operational reliability.
Under the agreement, HD Hyundai Samho will carry out the entire project on a turnkey basis, including the design, manufacturing, transportation, installation, and commissioning of two quay cranes and two yard cranes, with all equipment scheduled for delivery by 2028.
The order reflects HD Hyundai Samho’s advanced design and manufacturing capabilities, as well as its understanding of U.S. port operations and the trust it has built with customers. Since 1985, HD Hyundai Samho has supplied a total of twenty port cranes to major ports across the United States.
With growing emphasis from the U.S. government and industry on port supply chain resilience and security, Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation through the MASGA project is expected to continue expanding. This order is expected to further strengthen HD Hyundai Samho’s business foothold in the United States.
"The port crane order for the Port of Tacoma is a meaningful achievement that reflects the recognition of our technological expertise and quality competitiveness, built through a wide range of domestic and international projects," an HD Hyundai Samho official said. "Going forward, we will support the MASGA project through the development of eco-friendly, high-efficiency port equipment."
Meanwhile, HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Kisun met with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in May last year to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation between South Korea and the United States in the shipbuilding industry. During the meeting, Chung introduced HD Hyundai Samho’s crane manufacturing capabilities and proposed areas for collaboration.
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