US autonomous vessel developer Saronic has established an operations site at the Port of Gulfport in Mississippi to conduct on-water testing and commissioning of its medium unmanned surface vessels (MUSV).
The more than 30,000-square-foot facility includes port access, offices and warehouse space. Saronic's local team will conduct final end-of-line testing and on-water trials before the vessels are delivered to defence and commercial customers.
The first MUSV arrived at Gulfport in mid-July after being designed and launched in less than a year. The vessel has since completed hundreds of hours of on-water testing, with trials running for more than 12 hours a day, seven days a week. Additional vessels under construction at Saronic's shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana, will be transferred to Gulfport for testing as production increases.
Saronic Chief Executive Officer Dino Mavrookas said Gulfport's shipbuilding, fabrication and offshore capabilities made it suitable for supporting the company's testing and commissioning activities.
The expansion follows investment by the state of Mississippi in infrastructure for uncrewed maritime systems. The Mississippi State Port Authority has developed the state-owned port as a deepwater container gateway, while the University of Southern Mississippi operates a research centre focused on uncrewed maritime systems on the waterfront.
Port of Gulfport Chief Executive Officer Jon Nass said the decision to establish the site at Gulfport demonstrated the development of the local uncrewed maritime industry.
