Posted on April 17, 2025
Autonomous vessel developer Saronic announced today the acquisition of Louisiana-based Gulf Craft, marking a significant expansion into autonomous shipbuilding.
The acquisition provides Saronic with a strategically located Gulf Coast shipyard that will serve as the production hub for its medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) fleet, beginning with the Marauder, a 150-foot Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV).
Gulf Craft brings over 60 years of experience in building both manned and unmanned vessels for commercial and defense applications. The facility encompasses nearly 100 acres and will undergo substantial modernization, with Saronic planning to invest more than $250 million in infrastructure upgrades.
The Marauder vessel features a 40-metric ton payload capacity and can travel up to 3,500 nautical miles or maintain a 30+ day loiter time. It will be fully unmanned and integrate Saronic’s proven autonomy technology.
“Today marks a significant milestone in Saronic’s expansion into autonomous shipbuilding,” said Saronic CEO Dino Mavrookas. “This acquisition gives us the immediate capacity to meet urgent customer needs for larger autonomous vessels.”
The company plans to retain Gulf Craft’s current workforce while creating more than 500 new jobs over the next 3-4 years, including positions for skilled shipbuilders, engineers, and naval architects. The upgraded facility is expected to produce up to 50 unmanned ships annually.
Looking ahead, Saronic has announced plans to invest over $2.5 billion in developing Port Alpha, which aims to become the world’s most advanced shipyard capable of producing hundreds of unmanned vessels annually.
