Earlier this year, Saronic acquired the Franklin shipyard— formerly operated by Gulf Craft— as the central hub for prototyping and rapidly producing Marauder and larger autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) at scale. Since then, the company has doubled the shipyard’s workforce, made significant investments in infrastructure and employee experience, and begun modernizing the facility to support its long-term vision for high-volume autonomous shipbuilding.
“The keel laying of our first Marauder marks a significant milestone in autonomous maritime capability,” said Dino Mavrookas, Co-Founder and CEO of Saronic. “It’s not just about building a ship— it’s about rethinking how we deliver scalable, mission-ready platforms that meet the urgent needs of today’s maritime landscape and help us rapidly close the shipbuilding gap with China. We’re proud to do that here in Franklin, where we’ve found the ideal foundation of a skilled workforce, industrial infrastructure, and a community that believes in the future we’re building.”
The first vessel of its size designed from the keel up to be fully autonomous, Saronic’s Marauder represents a significant advancement in maritime capability. The autonomous ship can support a wide range of missions and operational needs, offering a payload capacity of 40 metric tons and the ability to travel up to 3,500 nautical miles or loiter for more than 30 days. Leveraging disciplined engineering, vertical integration, and domestic supply chains, Marauder delivers advanced capabilities for naval and commercial customers at a dramatically lower cost than legacy manned solutions.
Earlier this year, the company announced plans to invest more than $250 million into the shipyard. These enhancements will support a rapid production ramp-up, ultimately enabling Saronic to deliver up to 50 autonomous vessels per year.
At the official keel laying ceremony, Louisiana Secretary of the Department of Louisiana Economic Development Susan Bourgeois delivered remarks recognizing the workforce and economic significance of Saronic’s growing presence in the state.
“What we’re seeing in Franklin is more than a shipbuilding project; it’s Louisiana shaping the future of American maritime leadership,” said Secretary Bourgeois. “Saronic’s investment brings next-generation technology, high-wage careers, and long-term opportunity to this community. This is the kind of innovation that positions Louisiana to win, and we are proud to support it.”
In the coming months, Saronic plans to continue to grow its operations and advance toward the full-scale delivery of Marauder.
“Today’s keel laying is the first of many milestones for the Franklin shipyard and represents a critical step in Saronic’s mission to deliver persistent, capable, and affordable autonomous platforms for national defense and commercial maritime needs,” said Mavrookas.
For more information about Saronic, visit: https://www.saronic.com
