South Korea-based Hanwha plans to quadruple its workforce at the Philadelphia Navy Yard shipyard, by aiming to hire up to 10,000 workers over the next five years, writes Ryan Mulligan for the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The hiring spree is part of an effort to expand the shipyard’s production capacity more than tenfold, which should increase its output from one-and-a-half ships per year to around 20.

Hanwha Philly Shipyard is one of the nation’s largest but remains a long way behind shipyards in China, Japan, and Korea. China built 1,000 ships in 2024, while the United States completed only eight.

The federal government is now seeking to narrow that gap, with President Donald Trump calling for steps to “decisively move towards a new Maritime Golden Age by expanding commercial shipbuilding capacity” in the America’s Maritime Action Plan released in February.

Mayor Cherelle Parker has come out in support of the initiative, envisioning a Philadelphia economy and workforce anchored by the shipbuilding and maritime industries.

“I want you to imagine if the former industrial bottom of South Philadelphia … becomes a new thriving economic hub,” she said.

Read more about Hanwha Philly Shipyard and its plans to significantly grow its workforce in the Philadelphia Business Journal.

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