Up to 3,000 Shipbuilding Jobs Could Come From a New HD Hyundai and Kiewit US Shipyard

HD Hyundai and Kiewit plan a joint venture called HD Kiewit Shipbuilding LLC to develop a new shipyard in the United States, and at full operating scale the shipyard could support up to 3,000 jobs. That figure describes the finished yard, not open roles. Construction is targeted to begin in 2027, with full-scale operations expected in 2029. For Metaintro readers who weld or are thinking about a trade, this guide covers what the partners plan, what work the yard will chase, what welders earn and how people train for shipyard work.

What Did HD Hyundai and Kiewit Actually Announce?

The two partners are HD Hyundai USA LLC and Kiewit Maritime Co., an affiliate of Kiewit Offshore Services, Ltd., and the joint venture is focused on developing an advanced shipyard. The venture is still described as proposed, so treat every yard date and job number as a plan.

The companies signed the agreement in Houston, and the deal follows a strategic partnership agreement signed by the two companies in July. Under that earlier deal the partners began exploring US shipbuilding projects and domestic production of ship blocks and modules.

HD Hyundai brings shipbuilding technology and shipyard operating expertise, while Kiewit brings large-scale fabrication and construction capabilities, supported by the experience and the facilities of its affiliate. Kiewit Offshore Services builds large offshore and heavy industrial structures, and Kiewit Maritime president Chad Johnson said the company brings the people, facilities and experience needed to execute complex fabrication work through Kiewit Offshore Services and the wider Kiewit group.

Hannae Choi, who heads the Corporate Planning Division of HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, called the venture an important milestone in HD Hyundai’s journey to become a strategic partner to the U.S. shipbuilding industry. She added that HD Hyundai will contribute to strengthening the U.S. shipbuilding industry and expanding shipbuilding cooperation between the United States and South Korea.

Are These Shipyard Jobs Open Now, and When Could Hiring Start?

No. The headcount describes the finished yard, which is expected to employ around 3,000 people when fully operational. The partners say the facility will add new industrial capacity and new employment opportunities to the U.S. economy. HD Hyundai and Kiewit have not given hiring dates, job titles, pay rates, a split by trade or an investment figure for the yard.

Together with HD Hyundai’s world-class shipbuilding expertise, we see an opportunity to build a modern shipyard that expands U.S. shipbuilding capacity, develops a skilled workforce and strengthens the domestic supply chain, Kiewit Maritime Co. president Chad Johnson said, according to the joint press release.

What Have the Partners Said About the Site?

HD Hyundai and Kiewit plan a new, purpose-built shipyard on an existing industrial site with deep water and unrestricted access to the Gulf.

The project involves building a new shipyard rather than upgrading an existing facility, which HD Hyundai called significant. That sets it apart from another Korean shipbuilder, as unlike compatriot Hanwha’s acquisition of Philly Shipyard, HD Hyundai is pursuing newbuild yard development alongside upgrades to existing American facilities.

What Ships and Work Will the Yard Chase?

The first targets are set out in the plan. The venture will explore opportunities involving naval auxiliary and commercial vessels, as well as ship block and module fabrication for U.S. shipbuilders. In plainer terms, that means U.S. Navy logistics support vessels and commercial ships, plus blocks and modules supplied to other American yards.

The partners also plan to explore cooperation in maritime infrastructure and support the development of domestic supply chains for marine components and logistics.

What Does a Robotic Shipyard Mean for Welders?

Current plans include automation. It would be the first U.S. application of HD Hyundai’s Future of Shipyard model, with digital twins, automated production systems and robotic welding intended to improve productivity, quality and safety.

HD Hyundai said the approach is also aimed at reducing the impact of skilled-labour shortages. Across the whole welding trade, automation in manufacturing may limit overall demand for these workers.

Welding is still more than holding a torch. Core welder duties include the ability to read and interpret blueprints, sketches, and specifications, inspect structures or materials to be welded and monitor the welding process and adjust heat as necessary. The partners also intend to support technical training and workforce development, and HD Hyundai is planning technical training programmes.

In August HD Hyundai launched an automated welding pilot with Huntington Ingalls Industries at its Ingalls Shipbuilding facility in Mississippi, and its robotics division secured orders earlier this year to supply automated welding systems to Chouest yards in North America and Brazil.

What Do Welders Earn?

The median annual wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers was $53,750 in May 2025, against a median of $50,980 for all occupations.

The spread is wide. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $39,240, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $77,530. Pay also varies by industry, with medians of $59,440 at specialty trade contractors, $56,080 in repair and maintenance and $51,210 in manufacturing, and wages vary with the worker’s experience and skill level, the industry, and the size of the company.

Welding hours can be long. Most welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers work full time, and some work more than 40 hours per week. Many manufacturing firms have two or three 8- to 12-hour shifts each day, so welders may work evenings and weekends. Openings come up even though employment growth is slower than the average for all occupations. About 40,300 openings for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers are projected each year, on average, over the decade, and most of those are expected to come from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. Manufacturing is the main home for the trade, employing 63% of these workers.

Welders may work outdoors in all types of weather, or they may work indoors, sometimes in a confined area, and they may be exposed to a number of hazards, including fumes, very hot materials, and intense light created by the arc. Workers avoid injuries by following safety procedures and using personal protective equipment, such as welding helmets, hearing protection, and heat-resistant gloves. The work also takes physical stamina, since welders must be able to endure long periods in awkward positions while bending, stooping, or standing. It takes strength too, as welders must be able to lift heavy pieces of metal and move welding or cutting equipment. Spatial skills matter on big steel sections, because welders must be able to read and interpret two- and three-dimensional diagrams in order to fit metal products correctly. Steady hands count as well, since the job calls for a steady hand to hold a torch in place and good hand and eye coordination.

How Do People Train for Shipyard Welding Work?

You do not need a degree. Welders typically need a high school diploma or equivalent, combined with technical and on-the-job training, to enter the occupation.

There are several routes in.

• Training through high school technical education classes, programs at vocational-technical institutes, community colleges, and private welding, soldering, and brazing schools
• Welding-related training offered by the U.S. Armed Forces
• An employer-based apprenticeship program, some of which take entry-level workers who have no prior experience or training, while others are aimed at people who have completed a vocational-technical school welding program

Credentials help. Although some employers train beginners on the job, many prefer to hire workers who have completed training or credentialing programs, and some employers require general or specific certification for particular jobs. Welders must be licensed in some states and localities, and OSHA requires that welders complete training on electrical safety. Even with a certificate, entry-level workers with formal technical training still receive several months of on-the-job training, so the first months on the job are part of the training. Courses in blueprint reading, shop mathematics, and mechanical drawing may be helpful.

For union trades, Kiewit points people who are not yet members to NABTU.org or Apprenticeship.gov to explore unions in your area by trade. At Kiewit, benefits for union craft workers are typically administered through their local union. Those benefits may include health insurance, retirement plans, training programs and more, depending on the trade and the hall. Union craft jobs are spread out, as contractors across North America hire union workers, and your local hall can provide information to connect you with opportunities.

How Does the Shipyard Fit US Shipbuilding Policy?

The move ties into US government efforts to revive domestic shipbuilding. The United States builds less than one percent of commercial ships globally, the April 2025 executive order says, and the order calls for expanding and strengthening the recruitment, training, and retention of the relevant workforce. The same order asked for incentives to help shipbuilders domiciled in allied nations partner to undertake capital investment in the United States.

The order also put workforce on the federal to-do list. It called for a report on workforce challenges in the maritime sector through maritime educational institutions and workforce transitions, and an inventory of federal programs that support shipbuilding, including the training of shipbuilders and United States-credentialed mariners. The Maritime Action Plan was released in February 2026 as a coordinated strategy to strengthen U.S. maritime industries, and it expands the Maritime Industrial Base to include investment and expansion of commercial and defense shipbuilding capabilities, component supply chains, ship repair and marine transportation capabilities, port infrastructure, and the adjacent workforce.

Under a White House memorandum signed in August, as foreign shipbuilders make substantial and durable investments into America’s shipyards and train an all-American workforce for the jobs they create, they will be temporarily permitted to build up to two ships in their parent shipyards that will be delivered to bridge gaps on a quick turnaround, while additional ships will be built in revitalized American shipyards.

It is the policy of the United States to revitalize and rebuild domestic maritime industries and workforce to promote national security and economic prosperity, according to the White House executive order.

Where Does South Korea's $150 Billion Pledge Fit?

The big dollar figure in the coverage is a national pledge, not the cost of this yard. South Korea pledged to invest $150 billion in the US shipbuilding sector, as part of $350 billion of investment funds it agreed to put into US projects in return for US tariff cuts. That commitment came in a bilateral strategic investment memorandum signed in November 2025, under an initiative known as MASGA, for Make American Shipbuilding Great Again. The two countries also opened a shipbuilding partnership center in Washington, D.C., in July, along with 15 agreements involving South Korea’s three largest shipbuilders, US shipyards, technology companies and research institutions.

The yard sits inside a wider push, as the Korean group has been steadily expanding its American partnerships, including a deal with Fraser Industries to modernise Great Lakes shipyards and work with Edison Chouest Offshore’s Tampa Ship to develop US-built LNG dual-fuel containerships, with HD Hyundai providing design, procurement and construction expertise.

What This Means for Shipyard Workers and Job Seekers, and What Should You Do Next?

These are future jobs, not current ones. They depend on a construction start targeted for 2027 and a yard that reaches full scale. Typical welder training is moderate-term on-the-job training.

• Look at other US yard projects. Anduril's planned Baltimore County shipyard jobs and the S23 ship repair jobs in Newport News are other shipbuilding and repair projects worth tracking alongside this one.
• Watch for the site announcement. The named location will tell you which local colleges and union halls to look at for training.

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People Also Asked

Q: How many jobs will the HD Hyundai and Kiewit shipyard create?

A: At full operating scale the shipyard could support up to 3,000 jobs, and that figure describes the finished yard rather than jobs open now.

Q: When will the new US shipyard open?

A: Construction is targeted to begin in 2027, with full-scale operations expected in 2029, and the venture is still described as proposed.

Q: Do you need a degree to become a shipyard welder?

A: No. Welders typically need a high school diploma or equivalent, combined with technical and on-the-job training, and some apprenticeships take beginners with no prior experience or training.

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