St. Mary gets a look at Saronic's plans for former Gulf Craft yard

FRANKLIN – Saronic, the Texas-based company that acquired the Gulf Craft shipyard in April, formally introduced itself to St. Mary Parish on Friday.

The event was a keel-laying for a new autonomous surface vessel, described as a bridge to the future of surface vessels as well as a much-needed boost for St. Mary’s economy.

“Our focus has been to bring the advanced technology to bear on shipbuilding,” said Rob Lehman, a Saronic co-founder and chief commercial officer.

The shipyard will build Saronic’s Marauder, a 150-foot autonomous vessel capable of carrying two 40-foot cargo containers 4,000 miles at 18 knots or more, according to the company’s website.

Saronic, a 3-year-old company based in Austin, already builds 6-, 14- and 24-foot autonomous vessels and has worked on U.S. defense projects. A spokeswoman at Friday’s event said the company doesn’t talk about its contracts, but that the company’s vessels have commercial as well as military applications.

Friday’s event had the feel of a security-conscious operation. Visitors were checked off against an RSVP list as they entered and escorted around the site. Photos and video were prohibited.

The U.S. Navy has set a 2027 target for creating a hybrid fleet of conventional as well autonomous vessels, and Saronic has positioned itself to be part of the transition.

The three smaller autonomous vessels each went from the drawing board to the water within six months. Saronic was created “to redefine maritime superiority for the United States and its allies by rapidly producing ASVs at a volume that could deliver asymmetric military advantage and address gaps in our maritime industrial base,” according to the Saronic website.

Nearby Metal Shark and Swift Ships in Morgan City have also been involved in developing advanced unmanned vessels.

“We didn’t end up here by accident,” Lehman said.

He described Gulf Craft’s reputation in the industry as “impeccable.”

“It’s been a positive experience,” he said.

Since Saronic’s acquisition of Gulf Craft in April, employment has grown to 70 from 30. The company has announced plans to hire 500 people over the next three to four years and to invest $250 million at the site.

That’s welcome news in St. Mary, where ship- and boatbuilding employment has fallen from 1,608 in 2014 to 764 last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The company has access to 100 acres at the St. Mary site for expansion.

As Saronic continues its move into the shipyard, it is also considering possible sites for what it calls “Port Alpha.”

The company’s website defines the concept as “a next-generation shipyard capable of delivering new classes of medium and large autonomous ships at unprecedented speed and scale.”