JE Dunn Construction and Alberici Constructors, Inc. placed the final structural beam of Saronic Technologies’ $300 million shipyard expansion project in Louisiana. The company will use the expanded Franklin shipyard to increase production capacity for its fleet of 180-foot fully autonomous Marauders.
The project broke ground in November 2025, with completion scheduled for early 2027. The JE Dunn | Alberici joint venture will add more than 300,000 square feet to the existing footprint, including three new slips, expanded warehouse capacity and a dedicated production line for Saronic’s Marauder vessels.
The project reached a peak workforce of 200 craft professionals, engineers and project leaders.
“Franklin is central to how Saronic is scaling the next generation of American shipbuilding,” Saronic Co-Founder and COO Doug Lambert said. “This expansion brings together modern infrastructure, advanced manufacturing and a growing skilled workforce to increase production capacity and deliver autonomous ships at scale.”
