On August 22, Saronic marked the keel laying of its first 150' Marauder vessel at the company’s newly acquired shipyard in Franklin, La. The milestone signals the start of production for a new class of fully autonomous ships designed to support U.S. national defense, allied forces, and commercial maritime operations globally.
The Marauder is Saronic's first vessel of its size designed from the keel up to be fully autonomous, the company said. It offers a payload capacity of 40 metric tons and can travel up to 3,500 nautical miles or loiter for over 30 days. According to the company, the platform is engineered for a wide range of mission types and aims to deliver advanced capability at lower cost compared to traditional manned ships.
“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.”
Saronic acquired the Franklin shipyard — formerly operated by Gulf Craft — earlier this year. The facility now serves as the company’s primary site for prototyping and high-rate production of the Marauder and future autonomous surface vessels (ASVs). Since the acquisition, Saronic has doubled the shipyard’s workforce, modernized infrastructure, and invested in employee development to support its long-term autonomous shipbuilding strategy.
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 highlighting the project’s economic impact.
“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 scaling operations at the Franklin site and advance toward full-scale Marauder delivery, the company said.
“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.
