HII completes acquisition of W International facility, expands shipbuilding capacity

HII has closed on its acquisition of the manufacturing facility and assets of W International South Carolina and begun work at the renamed Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) Charleston Operations.

HII announced last month its intent to acquire the facility and associated assets. Since then, more than 99 per cent of the legacy workforce have reportedly accepted offers to continue to work on site, supporting the construction of nuclear-powered submarine modules and aircraft carrier units for US Navy programs.

Working with the South Carolina state and regional leadership, HII said it plans to create hundreds of additional jobs to support the increased demand and growth at the Charleston facility.

“HII is committed to going where the labor is to increase shipbuilding capacity and increase throughput for our national security customers,” HII President and CEO Chris Kastner said.

“This lets us efficiently add trained talent and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities to the urgent job of building ships, making it a unique opportunity to immediately accelerate throughput at Newport News Shipbuilding in support of the Navy and AUKUS.”

The acquisition includes production facilities with advanced manufacturing equipment, tooling and infrastructure used to fabricate complex metal modules and structures.

The facility is located on 45 acres with more than 480,000 square feet of manufacturing space.