Sen. Dave McCormick told Delaware Valley Journal in a podcast Friday that the Korean Hanwha Group’s $5 billion investment in the Hanwha Philly Shipyard will bring at least 5,000 jobs to the area. And these will be skilled, good-paying jobs.
“It’s an incredible step forward for shipbuilding in America,” McCormick said. “Over the last 30, 40 years, we’ve gone from being one of the premium shipbuilding countries in the world to having less than 3 percent of shipbuilding capacity. We’ve let our shipbuilding capacity wither.”
“That has huge implications for commerce, our ability to transfer LNG, and huge implications for our national security.”
McCormick noted that President Trump agrees with him that America needs to prioritize its shipbuilding capability.
He pointed out that Hanwha is one of the largest shipbuilders in the world.
“Philadelphia has the opportunity to expand dramatically,” McCormick said. “And the reason is, it used to be huge in shipbuilding. There are four dry docks. There’s the capacity to expand.”
During World War II, some 40,000 workers built and repaired ships at the then–Philadelphia Navy Yard around the clock.
DVJournal asked McCormick what this investment in the Hanwha Philly Shipyard will mean for national security.
McCormick replied, “We’re dependent on other countries to build our ships.”
“We don’t have enough icebreakers,” he said. “We don’t have enough subs. We really need to have the capacity to build next-generation ships, and we need to have the ability to build at least many of them in the United States.”
He noted that America faces many challenges, including China and its “aggressive behavior” in the South China Sea, as well as both Russia and China in the Arctic.
To remain a superpower, America must be able to build ships.
“We are a superpower,” McCormick said. “We want to stay that way.”
During his brief time in office, McCormick also helped engineer the purchase of U.S. Steel in Pittsburgh by Nippon Steel, saving jobs and preserving the nation’s ability to make steel, a crucial element for national security.
McCormick also hosted an Energy Summit that brought $92 billion in investment to the state and highlighted the burgeoning artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. The Amazon deal in Bucks County also brought $20 billion in investment to the Delaware Valley region.
“I think people are waking up to the possibility that we’re in the middle of a renaissance for Pennsylvania,” he said. “We’ve just got to get in front of it with the skilled workers who can meet these demands. And there’s more coming.”
On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro, Republic of Korea President Lee Jae Myung, and other dignitaries were on hand to christen a new ship.
The $350 million National Security Multi-Mission Vessel, commissioned by the U.S. Maritime Administration, is the third of five being built at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard.
Shapiro said the state invested more than $34 million in the Hanwha Philly Shipyard and surrounding Navy Yard. His administration also launched a task force to help expedite permits and expand the skilled workforce pipeline.
Hanwha will install new docks and quays at the shipyard, which dates to the American Revolution. The expansion will increase annual ship production from two to as many as 20.
Hanwha is known for its liquid natural gas (LNG) carriers, which McCormick hopes will dovetail with Pennsylvania’s robust LNG industry.
Since taking office, McCormick has frequently visited the Hanwha Philly Shipyard, including alongside U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
The One Big Beautiful Bill, which McCormick supported, helps fund a revitalization of the country’s industrial base, including shipbuilding.
Additionally, McCormick has worked to include provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (NDAA) that would further expand the shipyard’s capacity.
And McCormick cosponsored the SHIPS for America Act of 2025, which in addition to working to revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding and maritime industries, invests in recruitment, training, and retention of mariners and shipyard workers to rebuild the maritime workforce.