Hanwha Ocean and Ontario Shipyards sign MOU to accelerate shipbuilding

Key representatives pose for a commemorative photo following the Hanwha Ocean–Ontario Shipyards MOU signing and the trilateral LOI ceremony with Mohawk College. Front row, from left: Mohawk College President Paul Armstrong, Hanwha Ocean CEO Kim Hee-cheul, and Ontario Shipyards CEO Shaun Padulo, joined by Canadian Members of Parliament and other local officials after the signing ceremonies.

HAMILTON — Hanwha Ocean and Ontario Shipyards have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to accelerate the return of large-scale shipbuilding in Ontario and to strengthen Canada’s ability to deliver future naval programs.

In parallel, Hanwha Ocean, Ontario Shipyards and Mohawk College have entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) to establish an embedded shipbuilding training hub at Ontario Shipyards’ Hamilton, Ont. facility.

Per a Feb. 19 press release, this intends to position Ontario as a scalable centre of excellence for defence-related shipbuilding and advanced marine manufacturing in the Great Lakes region.

Under the bilateral MOU, Hanwha Ocean will provide structured technical and operational support to Ontario Shipyards to strengthen production readiness and shipyard performance.

The cooperation will focus on:

These measures are intended to accelerate the re-establishment of large-scale vessel construction capability in Ontario and support long-term naval industrial readiness.

As part of this cooperation, Hanwha Ocean will provide support to the design and construction for a Training and Recruitment vessel that Ontario Shipyards will begin building in 2026, serving as a practical demonstration of next-generation shipbuilding capability in the province.

Per the press release, the trilateral LOI with Mohawk College aims to address shortages in skilled trades and technical professionals critical to shipbuilding.

Mohawk College will lead academic programming across skilled trades and technology disciplines including welding, electrical, millwright, marine mechanics, robotics, logistics and non-destructive evaluation.

“At its core, this partnership is about people. With Hanwha Ocean working alongside our teams and Mohawk College training the next generation in a live shipyard, we are building the Canadian workforce that will deliver and sustain Canadian ships for decades to come. That is how sovereign capacity is created. This partnership activates Ontario’s industrial strength in direct support of the National Shipbuilding Strategy and the future of the Royal Canadian Navy and creates meaningful long-term careers for Canadians,” said Shaun Padulo, President and CEO, Ontario Shipyards.