Saronic Unveils 150-Foot Autonomous Boat

Saronic announced the acquisition of Gulf Craft, a Louisiana-based shipbuilder, to accelerate its growth into autonomous shipbuilding. Through this acquisition, Saronic gains a shipyard on the Gulf Coast that will serve as the prototyping and production hub for its medium unmanned surface vessel (MUSV) fleet — starting with Marauder, Saronic’s 150-foot Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV).

Marauder is a 150-foot MUSV to support a wide range of missions for the U.S., its allies, and commercial customers. With a payload capacity of 40 metric tons, the autonomous ship is designed to travel up to 3,500 nautical miles or loiter for more than 30 days, depending on mission requirements.

Marauder is designed to be fully unmanned and will integrate the same autonomy stack used across Saronic’s existing family of ASVs. The vessel incorporates Saronic’s vertically integrated approach, disciplined engineering philosophy, and strong domestic supplier network.

The acquisition adds nearly 100 acres to Saronic’s footprint, supporting both immediate MUSV development and production as well as capacity for significant expansion. Saronic plans to invest more than $250 million directly into the shipyard, which will encompass large facility upgrades that will enable it to apply a first-principles approach to shipbuilding. This includes modernizing infrastructure, acquiring new machinery, and updating the facilities while focusing on building a production system engineered for speed, scalability, and quality. These upgrades will support a rapid capacity ramp-up, enabling Saronic to deliver up to 50 unmanned ships per year.

Saronic has retained Gulf Craft’s experienced workforce and expects to create more than 500 new jobs over the next 3–4 years. In addition to bringing on skilled shipbuilders, welders, and electricians, Saronic anticipates creating new roles for engineers, technologists, and naval architects to develop and scale production of its MUSVs.

Saronic’s acquisition of Gulf Craft delivers immediate production capacity and establishes a foundational pillar for the company’s growing shipbuilding enterprise. As part of its long-term vision, Saronic intends to invest over $2.5 billion to develop Port Alpha — the world’s most advanced shipyard, designed to produce hundreds of unmanned vessels annually and create thousands of new jobs.