HD Hyundai chief meets India’s Modi to expand shipbuilding cooperation

HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun, back row right, and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering CEO Kim Hyung-kwan, front row right, pose with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, front row center, and other participants during a high-level roundtable in New Delhi, Wednesday. Courtesy of Indian Prime Minister's Office

HD Hyundai Chairman Chung Ki-sun met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday to discuss ways to expand bilateral cooperation in shipbuilding and related industries, the company said.

Chung and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering CEO Kim Hyung-kwan attended a high-level roundtable hosted by Modi at the prime minister’s official residence in New Delhi. The meeting was held on the sidelines of India Energy Week 2026.

The roundtable brought together around 30 participants, including Modi, senior Indian government officials, heads of state-owned enterprises and chief executives of major global companies, to explore opportunities for cooperation in energy and maritime industries.

During the meeting, Chung expressed appreciation for the Indian government’s strong commitment to fostering the shipbuilding sector and asked for continued interest and support for HD Hyundai’s ongoing collaborative projects in the country.

“HD Hyundai continues to maintain close collaborative relationships with India across a wide range of areas,” Chung said. “India is a key pillar of our strategy to diversify overseas production bases, and I am confident it will serve as a new engine of growth for HD Hyundai.”

As part of India’s Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 initiative, HD Hyundai signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in July last year with Cochin Shipyard, India’s largest state-owned shipbuilder. Under the agreement, the two sides are cooperating in areas including productivity enhancement, workforce capability development, ship design and procurement support.

The group has since expanded its partnership with Cochin Shipyard to include naval vessels. HD Hyundai has also stepped up its push into the Indian market by signing an exclusive MOU with the government of Tamil Nadu to jointly build a shipyard and advance cooperation in port crane projects with state-owned heavy equipment manufacturer BEML.

India has shown strong interest in strengthening ties with HD Hyundai. In November last year and again in January, India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri and Tamil Nadu Minister for Industries T. R. B. Rajaa visited Korea, touring HD Hyundai’s Global R&D Center and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries' Ulsan shipyard to discuss ways to deepen cooperation.