HD Hyundai is broadening cooperation with the Philippine government beyond vessel construction to support Philippine Navy modernization and improve the competitiveness of the country’s shipbuilding industry. Chairman Chung Ki-sun met Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. in Seoul on Sept. 8 to discuss the expansion, the company said. The talks reviewed a decade of defense cooperation and followed the start of operations last year at HD Hyundai Philippines’ Subic shipyard. HD Hyundai recently launched the Orion Jade, the facility’s first vessel, and plans to deliver it to its owner next year while gradually increasing production capacity. The company has received orders for 12 Philippine vessels, including 3,200-ton frigates and 2,400-ton offshore patrol vessels, and has delivered six. It plans to continue cooperation on follow-up frigate projects.