U.S. maritime defense technology company Saronic has begun construction of Port Alpha, a new shipyard in Brownsville, Texas, designed to produce autonomous and crewed vessels at scale. The project is intended to help meet growing demand for shipbuilding capacity in the maritime defense sector.
A large-scale project with room to grow
Saronic announced its plans for Port Alpha in July. The shipyard will initially cover about 800 acres, with the potential to expand to 4,000 acres. The company expects the project to create roughly 10,000 direct jobs, including positions in welding, machining, robotics, software engineering, and naval architecture.
The facility is being designed for high-volume production of both crewed and autonomous vessels, with modularity and manufacturing throughput built into its layout, said Saronic co-founder and CEO Dino Mavrookas. Vice President JD Vance and Texas Governor Greg Abbott attended the groundbreaking ceremony.
Landing craft for the U.S. Navy
Port Alpha is expected to build Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels, which transport personnel, weapons, and cargo. Earlier this month, Saronic was named one of three companies selected by the U.S. Navy to build the vessels under a deal worth about $280 million. Deliveries are expected to begin in late 2028.
Mavrookas said the United States faces a shortfall in shipbuilding capacity and that Port Alpha is intended to help address it.
Expanding autonomous vessel production
Saronic already builds autonomous surface vessels at its shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana. Its products include the Corsair, which U.S. forces have used in recent operations in the Middle East, and the Marauder, a medium unmanned surface vessel.
The Navy has said it will buy 10 Marauders through its Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel marketplace program. According to Mavrookas, Saronic will have the capacity to build 20 Marauders annually starting January 1, 2027, and has already received a production contract for the program.
Saronic has invested $300 million in infrastructure at its Franklin shipyard to support Marauder production.
