Aug 11 (Reuters) - Australian shipbuilder Austal said on Tuesday that Hanwha Group had offered to buy its U.S. operations for up to $1.20 billion as the South Korean conglomerate seeks to expand in the American defence market.
Austal shares rose nearly 13% in early trade, logging their best intraday jump since mid-February. The stock was the top gainer on the benchmark ASX 200 index, which traded 0.2% higher as of 0035 GMT.
Hanwha Defence USA offered to buy Austal's U.S. entities and operations for
$1.05 billion to $1.20 billion, a move that would deepen its push into the U.S. defence market after acquiring the Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia in 2024.
"Hanwha has made it a priority to significantly contribute to revitalising American shipbuilding and is exploring a range of options to expand footprint in the United States," Hanwha Defense USA Spokesman James Hewitt said.
Austal, Australia's biggest shipbuilder, designs and builds vessels for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard. Its U.S. business generated 90% of the group's A$108.5 million pre-tax profit in the 2025 financial year.
The offer does not include Austal's core operations in Australia, the Philippines and Vietnam or its Sydney-listed shares. It will also not affect its Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement with the Australian government.
Austal has agreed to give the South Korean conglomerate four weeks to conduct due diligence, it said.
In December, the Australian government approved Hanwha's proposal to raise its stake in Austal to 19.9% from 9.9%, subject to conditions on data access and security.
LSEG data showed an entity owned by Hanwha still owned a 9.9% stake in Austal, while a private entity owned by billionaire Andrew Forrest held a 19.28% stake.
Hanwha Group told Reuters it owned a 19.9% stake in Austal, without disclosing further details. Austal did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Austal said its U.S. business was expected to book an operating earnings loss of A$175 million in 2026, reflecting higher losses on shipbuilding programmes.
That would leave the group with an operating loss of A$113 million in 2026, compared with earnings of A$113.4 million a year earlier.
(Reporting by Sameer Manekar in Bengaluru; Editing by Shreya Biswas and Subhranshu Sahu)
