Hanwha Ocean Co., a shipbuilding and defense industry unit of South Korea's Hanwha Group, said Friday it has been selected as the preferred bidder for the 460.1 billion-won (US$322.2 million) project to build the South Korean Navy's logistics support ship, AOE-II, according to Yonhap.
Hanwha Ocean will sign a contract with the Defense Acquisition Program Administration next month following negotiations on technologies and conditions, according to Hanwha Ocean. The company was the sole bidder for the project.
The 10,000-ton AOE-II vessel is scheduled to be delivered to the Korean Navy in December 2028, the company said.
The 190-meter ship, capable of carrying 140 sailors, is designed to provide ammunition, oil and other logistical support materials to naval ships.
During operations, it can maneuver at high speeds like destroyers and frigates while delivering supplies.
Hanwha Ocean said it will increase the load capacity of the AOE-II by more than 2.3 times, bringing it to 10,000 tons compared with the previous Cheonji-class AOE-I vessel, and improve performance, such as maneuvering speed.