06/28/2026
ICYMI
NAVY SELECTS PROSPECTIVE PENSACOLA SHIPBUILDER, BIRDON, FOR DRONE SHIP PROTOTYPE DEMONSTRATION.
But will there be enough skilled maritime workers?
By John Singley
WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 29, 2026) Birdon America, the U.S. subsidiary of Australian shipbuilder Birdon, has been selected along with seven other companies to demonstrate a medium-sized autonomous ship prototype (MUSV).
At sea testing will begin next month and conclude in September, 2026. According to a Navy announcement Friday, “Companies whose MUSV successfully completes the at-sea test will receive $15 million and will be eligible for follow-on production.”
The Navy’s requirements include the vessel having the ability to travel 2,500 nautical miles at 25 knots in sea state 4 carrying a payload of up to 25 metric tons, according to naval solicitation documents published in late March.
Birdon USA is currently in negotiations with the City of Pensacola and Triumph Gulf Coast to lease 400,000 sft of space at the Port of Pensacola to build two shipbuilding facilities.
The proposed facility will employ approximately 2,000 manufacturing and support personnel. It will be capable of producing complex Navy ship modules for Tier 1 shipyards, submarine modules, and complete surface ships up to 400 feet in length.
According to the City’s Triumph application, the ask is for $86 million on a $250 million project. The city will own the buildings and Birdon will be the tenant and supply the ship building equipment.
It’s not clear now where the Bidron drone prototype will come from.
Last month, Birdon partnered with Mythos AI, a West Palm Beach, Florida maritime navigation and autonomous systems firm.
The autonomous ship contract is just a portion of the Birdon order book.
Birdon has current contracts with the U.S Coast Guard, the Army, and the Marine Corps. The Marines have asked Birdon to build two autonomous support craft prototypes.
Birdon is hustling to acquire facilities along the Gulf coast. It has purchased a shipyard in Bayou LaBatre, Alabama and hopes to start construction in Pensacola as soon as the Triumph grant is approved.
One headwind for Birdon but potential good news for maritime trade workers is a significant workforce shortage along the Gulf Coast. The shortage is pushing skill wages higher.
According to search firm KiTalent, “the very specialization in autonomous and modular shipbuilding is making these jobs the highest-paying technical trades on the Gulf Coast, and makes them nearly impossible to fill. Aluminum-certified welders in Mobile earn 18% to 22% more than their steel counterparts in Pascagoula or Newport News.”
Fortune is reporting that the shipbuilding industry is facing a shortfall of 200,000 to 250,000 workers over the next decade, spanning critical roles like welding, soldering, and frontline management.
At Huntington Ingalls Industries’ shipyards in Pascagoula, Mississippi, a new contract that will grant an immediate 18% base wage increase, with total pay projected to rise between 35% and 47% over the next five years has been approved. It is the largest pay raise in Ingalls Shipbuilding history.
Can Pensacola meet the workforce challenge?
Mayor D.C. Reeves said recently that the city learned from the ST Engineering experience that workforce development must lead these kinds of economic development projects.
The Federal government and industry are on the fast track to avert a workforce crisis. Is Pensacola ready?
Photo: Saronic Marauder Autonomous prototype launching recently at its newly acquired, $300 million investment, shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana.
