Australia's Birdon Group announced that its U.S. subsidiary, Birdon America, has reached an agreement to acquire Metal Shark Boats' Bayou La Batre shipyard in Alabama.
Birdon America plans to use the shipyard for ship repair and newbuilding operations, including the construction of 27 Waterways Commerce Cutters (WCCs) awarded to Birdon by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2022, with an order value of $11$8.7 billion.
"The investment in Bayou La Batre will not only ensure that the Group delivers on its commitment to the U.S. Coast Guard, but will also provide opportunities for the Group's subcontracting partners in Southern Alabama," said Jamie Bruce, CEO of Birdon Group. ”
Metal Shark acquired Horizon Shipbuilding in 2018, resulting in the fully developed Bayou La Batre shipyard. The Bayou La Batre shipyard is located on 32 acres of land near the Inland Waterway of the Coast, with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico.
The shipyard has five steel structure workshops for completely independent fabrication and construction work; With more than 1,700 feet of shoreline, a 660-ton tr**elift, multiple cranes, and all the required shipbuilding equipment, it was used to build a 300-foot (91-meter) steel and aluminum vessel with a launch weight of up to 1,500 tons.
Once the acquisition is complete, the existing staff of the Bayou La Batre shipyard will be transferred to Birdon and will continue to execute current repair orders.
Metal Shark will continue to own and operate its shipyards in Jeanerette and Franklin.
In the near term, Birdon said it plans to invest heavily in the shipyard's infrastructure, creating 300 new local jobs over the next two years.