U.S. Shipyards Add Capacity as Navy, Commercial Programs Drive Investment

The US Navy, Anduril Unveil a $6.6B Shipyard Plan

A new wave of U.S. shipyard investment is taking shape, driven by Navy requirements, autonomous vessel programs and demand to rebuild domestic commercial shipbuilding capacity. At the same time, established and emerging yards are delivering new tugs and towboats, while several new vessel programs point to a broader renewal of the U.S. maritime industrial base.

The largest plans come from Anduril Industries and Saronic, which together have announced more than $6.7 billion in private shipyard investment in Maryland and Texas. Their projects differ considerably, but both center on applying modern manufacturing methods, automation and higher production rates to a U.S. shipbuilding sector struggling with capacity constraints.

Anduril Plans $3.7B Maryland Facility

Anduril Industries plans to invest $3.7 billion to develop Arsenal-2 at Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point, Maryland, backed by a U.S. Navy contract worth up to $2.9 billion tied to production targets.

The combined public and private commitment could reach $6.6 billion. Permitting and site preparation are beginning, with initial operations targeted for 2030.

The planned facility will occupy 187 acres and encompass more than 2 million square feet. Infrastructure will include a 1,200-foot graving dock, high-bay assembly halls, fabrication areas and reconfigurable production lines. Anduril’s ArsenalOS industrial software will connect manufacturing workflows, material movement, inspections and documentation.

A principal mission will be manufacturing complex components and large assemblies for Virginia-class attack submarines. Those assemblies will then be delivered to General Dynamics Electric Boat and HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding for final assembly, adding another production source to the submarine industrial base.

Arsenal-2 is also being designed to produce autonomous underwater vessels and other subsea systems. Anduril expects the Maryland operation to create 3,100 direct jobs, support more than 11,000 indirect jobs and generate an estimated $2 billion in annual economic output.

Before Arsenal-2 opens, Anduril plans to establish a 160,000-square-foot Orange County, California, operation to manufacture Virginia-class components, including torpedo tubes, while developing the processes and quality systems that will ultimately be transferred to Maryland.

Saronic Breaks Ground on Port Alpha

In Brownsville, Texas, Saronic has started construction on another large-scale addition to U.S. shipbuilding capacity.

Port Alpha represents more than $3 billion in private investment and will initially occupy 835 acres at the Port of Brownsville, with an option to expand to nearly 4,400 acres. The shipyard is being developed to construct autonomous, autonomy-capable and conventionally manned vessels.

At opening, Saronic projects annual capacity of 150,000 gross tons, which the company says would more than double current U.S. commercial shipbuilding capacity. Its longer-range vision is considerably larger, potentially exceeding 2 million gross tons annually.

The first phase includes 1.2 million square feet of enclosed production space within a 2.5-million-square-foot production area, spread among eight to 10 buildings. More than 2,500 feet of deepwater quay is planned, along with two to four final erection positions and steel processing capacity of 75,000 tons annually.

Port Alpha will initially build vessels up to 850 feet, with future expansion capable of handling ships exceeding 1,200 feet. JE Dunn | Alberici Joint Venture is constructing the initial phase.

Initial production will include Landing Craft Utility vessels under a recently awarded U.S. Navy contract, along with autonomous and autonomy-capable craft.

“Port Alpha is designed from the ground up to produce both autonomous and manned vessels at scale, with modularity and throughput shaping the shipyard’s architecture,” said Saronic co-founder and CEO Dino Mavrookas.

Saronic said the fully developed project could support as many as 10,000 direct jobs.

A Shipbuilding Return to Vancouver

The capacity story is not confined to multibillion-dollar greenfield projects. New Pacific Industrial has launched its first shipbuilding program at its 180,000-plus-square-foot Vancouver, Washington, waterfront facility, starting construction of two 122-foot American Class tugboats for American Marine Corporation.

The project returns new vessel construction to a Columbia River property that was once part of the Kaiser Shipyards. New Pacific’s facility includes high-bay fabrication space, heavy-lift crane capacity, outdoor laydown areas and rail and barge access.

The project is also significant for American Marine, which is marking its 50th anniversary with its first newbuild tug program. Glosten developed the vessels from its CT-120 oceangoing line-haul tug design, tailoring the platform for American Marine’s long-distance towing requirements.

Each 499-GT, sub-200-GRT tug will measure 122 by 37 feet with a 17-foot operating draft and 130,000 gallons of usable fuel capacity. Twin Wabtec diesels, each rated at 3,017 hp, will drive 120-inch stainless steel propellers in Nautican nozzles through REINTJES reverse-reduction gears supplied by Karl Senner. Nautican’s triple-rudder arrangement will provide maneuvering control.

Bollard pull will exceed 85 metric tons. The towing package includes a Markey Machine diesel-powered double-drum winch carrying 2,600 feet of 2-1/4-inch wire on each drum, plus a headline winch. Smith Berger will provide a flush-mounted pin table and Shark Jaws.

The first tug is scheduled for delivery in the third quarter of 2028.

Autonomy Moves Toward Production

Autonomous vessel construction is also moving deeper into the traditional shipbuilding sector.

Incat Crowther has joined HII’s team for the U.S. Navy’s ROMULUS unmanned surface vessels under the Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel program. Incat Crowther will provide naval architecture and design services through its Louisiana-based engineering team.

ROMULUS is a modular family of AI-enabled USVs built around HII’s open-architecture Odyssey Advanced Autonomy Solutions. Incat Crowther’s involvement will continue as the program moves from autonomy trials and evaluation into construction and deployment.

Of particular significance to the broader U.S. industrial base, HII intends to employ a distributed production model using regional shipbuilders and manufacturing partners to expand capacity as Navy demand increases.

“Unmanned vessels ultimately must be built, integrated, tested and sustained as part of a fleet,” said Duane Fotheringham, president of HII Mission Technologies’ Unmanned Systems group.

The approach reinforces a theme evident in both the Anduril and Saronic investments: autonomy may be changing what ships can do, but producing them at scale remains fundamentally a shipbuilding challenge.

New Tonnage Hits the Water

While new shipyards and autonomous programs look toward future capacity, established U.S. builders continue delivering conventional workboats.

Washburn & Doughty Associates in Maine recently completed Mary McAllister, the sixth vessel in a seven-tug series for McAllister Towing.

The American-built tractor tug is rated at 84 metric tons bollard pull and powered by Caterpillar Tier IV engines producing a combined 6,770 hp. ABS class and endorsements include +A1 Towing, +AMS, FiFi 1, Escort and Low Emissions Vessel. Its firefighting system can deliver 12,000 gallons of water and foam per minute.

Mary McAllister is headed ultimately to Port Everglades, Florida, but will first work from Baltimore alongside sister tug Isabel. McAllister said another tug in the series is due in 2027.

In the inland sector, C&C Marine and Repair delivered the 2,600-hp M/V Capt. Pete Ciaramitaro to Southern Devall. The vessel is the first delivery from C&C Marine’s six-vessel speculative towboat construction program and was handed over just over two months after the contract was signed.

The remaining five vessels are available for sale, with deliveries scheduled at approximately two-month intervals beginning in November.

The 87- by 33-foot, 8-inch towboat is powered by two EPA Tier 4 Mitsubishi S12R engines driving through Reintjes WAF 665 reduction gears. It is outfitted for Subchapter M service on inland rivers, canals and intracoastal waterways and provides eight berths.

“The vessel gives us the versatility to support both our river and coastal operations,” said Southern Devall Vice President Engineering Brandon Devall.

The U.S. small cruise sector added another new vessel as American Cruise Lines christened American Ranger on the Hudson River in Catskill, New York.

The 130-passenger vessel is the fourth Patriot Class ship and the third new vessel introduced by American Cruise Lines this year. The four-deck ship features all-private-balcony accommodations, including single cabins and suites.

American Cruise Lines expects another three ships in 2027: Patriot Class sisters American Mariner and American Navigator, plus the riverboat American Anthem.