US-based tech company Saronic Technologies has held a keel-laying ceremony for its Marauder vessel at the company’s recently acquired shipyard in Franklin, Louisiana.
As disclosed, this milestone marks the official start of production for a new class of fully autonomous ships. Earlier this year, Saronic acquired the Franklin shipyard — formerly operated by Gulf Craft — as the central hub for prototyping and rapidly producing Marauder and larger autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) at scale.
Since then, the firm has made significant investments in infrastructure and employee experience and began modernizing the facility to support its long-term vision for high-volume autonomous shipbuilding.
Earlier this year, Saronic also 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.
“The keel laying of our first Marauder marks a significant milestone in autonomous maritime capability,” said Dino Mavrookas , Co-Founder and CEO of Saronic.
According to Saronic, Marauder represents a significant advancement in maritime capability. The autonomous ship can support a wide range of missions and operational needs, offering a payload capacity of 40 metric tons and the ability to travel up to 3,500 nautical miles or loiter for more than 30 days.
In the coming months, Saronic plans to continue to grow its operations and advance toward the full-scale delivery of Marauder.
This month, the company also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with classification society American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) to explore autonomous technologies for maritime applications.