Saronic is moving beyond autonomous boats and setting its sights on a much larger role in maritime defense manufacturing.

The maritime defense technology company on Thursday unveiled plans for Port Alpha, a new shipyard in Brownsville, Texas, designed to dramatically expand its vessel production capacity, BreakingDefense reported. The facility is expected to support both military and commercial shipbuilding, with operations targeted to begin in 2028.

Saronic said it plans to break ground on the project later this year, initially developing roughly 800 acres of the site with the potential to expand to nearly 4,000 acres. Co-founder and CEO Dino Mavrookas said the shipyard is intended to modernize traditional shipbuilding by incorporating advanced manufacturing techniques, increasing production speed and lowering costs.

The scale of the project marks a significant expansion of Saronic’s ambitions. Port Alpha is expected to initially support construction of vessels up to 850 feet long, with a long-term goal of producing ships reaching 1,200 feet. The facility is also designed to build both crewed and autonomous vessels — a combination that reflects the company’s broader vision for the future of naval warfare.

"We’re not going to give specifics on what our next product line is going to be, but yes, we are going to build both manned and unmanned ships," Mavrookas said. "The manned ships are going to be very differentiated in that we’re going to incorporate all of the technology that we’re building to make these manned ships more efficient, and then de-man them as we move into the future."

The company expects Port Alpha could eventually create up to 10,000 jobs over the next decade, including traditional shipyard roles such as welding and machining as well as positions focused on robotics, software engineering and naval architecture. Saronic said it plans to partner with local schools and workforce development programs to build training pipelines for future employees.

The announcement comes as the U.S. defense industry faces growing pressure to expand domestic shipbuilding capacity and adopt more autonomous systems. Saronic has already established itself as a player in the emerging autonomous maritime sector through its Franklin, Louisiana facility, where it builds unmanned surface vessels including the Corsair, which has been deployed by U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Mavrookas said the Texas shipyard decision was not driven by the Corsair’s recent operations and instead followed the completion of a separate deal. However, he acknowledged the timing coincided with the platform’s successful performance in the Strait of Hormuz.

"We want to get to work, so this is not something that we kept under wraps and waited for the right moment to announce. It just so happens that Corsair has been very, very successful in the Strait of Hormuz, providing those capabilities that you have seen right before this announcement," Mavrookas said.

With Port Alpha, Saronic is positioning itself not only as a builder of autonomous vessels but as a potential challenger in the broader naval industrial base — one that blends traditional shipbuilding with AI, robotics and autonomous technology.

Photo courtesy of Saronic’s Press Kit