Autonomous shipbuilder Saronic is planting a flag in downtown New Orleans, opening a nearly 15,000-square-foot office at Place St. Charles that will serve as the company’s central hub for engineering and technical operations. The Austin-based firm says the new space will be home to hardware engineers, naval architects, marine engineers and systems-testing specialists, and will bring fresh jobs into the Central Business District, according to New Orleans CityBusiness.
Company leaders say the move is all about geography and speed, putting design teams within easy reach of Saronic’s Franklin shipyard, where its larger autonomous vessels are taking shape. The idea is to tighten the loop between engineers in high-rise offices and crews on the shipyard floor.
As reported by New Orleans CityBusiness, the downtown office is expected to create up to 75 jobs in the Central Business District and will support design and development for Saronic’s Marauder program. “This facility builds on our growing investment in the state,” co‑founder and CEO Dino Mavrookas told CityBusiness.
Shipyard expansion and statewide jobs
Louisiana Economic Development says the New Orleans hub is one piece of a much larger, $300 million expansion at Saronic’s Franklin shipyard. That project is set to add more than 300,000 square feet of production capacity.
At full employment, LED estimates the expansion could generate about 1,500 new direct jobs and roughly 3,200 total jobs when indirect positions are factored in. For a region that has long lived and died by maritime work, those are attention-getting numbers.
Marauder: the flagship platform
According to specifications published by Saronic, Marauder is a 180-foot autonomous surface vessel designed to haul heavy payloads and multiple ISO containers, making it the company’s largest platform.
Industry coverage notes that the design traces back to earlier 150-foot builds, then stretched as the Franklin yard shifted from small-batch prototyping to larger-scale production, per Naval News.
Hiring, training and local ties
As New Orleans CityBusiness reports, Saronic expects to hire more than 350 skilled Louisiana workers this year. The New Orleans office will be staffed with systems and hardware specialists who will work closely with production teams tied to the Franklin yard.
The company is partnering with universities, technical colleges and community programs to create training pipelines and internships that lead directly into shipyard and engineering roles, looking to grow talent locally rather than import it.
Trade reports state that Saronic acquired the former Gulf Craft shipyard in Franklin and brought on contractors Alberici and JE Dunn to handle the expansion work. The project broke ground last November, and coverage frames the New Orleans office as part of a larger Gulf Coast buildout, per Construction Dive.
Open positions are listed on the careers page at Saronic. Louisiana Economic Development’s announcement also includes a registration link for hiring notifications tied to the Franklin expansion.
