Austal USA Kicks Off Major Shipyard Expansion

Austal USA has kicked off plans to construct a new manufacturing facility, marking a significant expansion of its shipyard capacity in Mobile, Alabama in support of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard shipbuilding programs.

The project, set to commence in summer 2024, will enhance the company’s existing waterfront facility with a new assembly building, waterfront improvements, and a shiplift system.

The new construction continues on Austal USA’s expansion which began in March 2021 with the groundbreaking of the steel panel line. The shiplift will not only provide a secure and dependable system for launching completed ships from the assembly buildings but also facilitate their retrieval and return to the land-side facility.

“With the steel panel line in full production, our expansion focus has shifted to the erection and launch facilities required to support our growing backlog,” said Michelle Kruger, Austal USA’s acting President.

Austal USA has partnered with Pearlson & Pearlson Inc., Kiewit Infrastructure South Co., and Pearlson Shiplift Corporation for the project execution. The new assembly building will consist of three bays, providing approximately 192,000 square feet of covered manufacturing space and increasing capacity to manufacture modules for submarine and other surface ship programs. The building will

The Pearlson-designed shiplift system, featuring an articulated lifting platform approximately 450 feet long by 125 feet wide, will be capable of lifting and launching vessels over 18,000 long tons. This capacity will facilitate the launch and docking of the U.S. Navy Constellation-class Frigates, TAGOS-25 class Ocean Surveillance Ships, Independence-variant Littoral Combat Ships, and the U.S. Coast Guard Heritage-class Offshore Patrol Cutters.

Upon completion, Austal USA’s Mobile facility will span 180 acres and include over 1.5 million square feet of indoor manufacturing space.

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