Boatbuilder Birdon will develop and operate a 400,000-square-foot (37,000-square-metre) advanced ship manufacturing facility at the Port of Pensacola in Florida, making it Birdon's sixth location in the United States.
In partnership with the City of Pensacola and other regional and national stakeholders, Birdon plans to establish a facility that will incorporate modern technology and shipbuilding practices.
The company expects that this will create more than three million production man hours per year of additional capacity for fabrication of ships and modules to support the US Maritime Industrial Base.
The facility will employ approximately 2,000 personnel, including engineering, skilled trades, and other support roles.
Birdon’s announcement follows initial approval by Triumph Gulf Coast for a US$76 million grant to the City of Pensacola to help build the facilities Birdon will operate at the port.
Triumph is a non-profit corporation that oversees expenditure of funds for economic damages resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Birdon said the funds must be used for recovery, diversification, and enhancement in Northwest Florida.
The expansion complements Birdon’s existing facilities and its ongoing US Government programs, including the waterways commerce cutter construction for the US Coast Guard in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, and the motor lifeboat service life extension program for the Coast Guard in Bellingham, Washington, and Portland, Connecticut.
Birdon expects to open the new facility at the Port of Pensacola as early as the third quarter of 2027.
