Edison Chouest enters strategic partnership with Anduril Industries

L to R: Chouest EVP Dino Chouest and Anduril general manager Cory Emmons.

Edison Chouest Offshore (ECO) and defense technology innovator Anduril Industries have entered a strategic partnership to design and construct next-generation defense maritime vessels in the United States.

Under this partnership, Anduril will serve as the prime contractor, leading program delivery and integrating its advanced technology stack. ECO will serve as the shipbuilder and systems integrator, providing the industrial scale required for rapid construction and integration of onboard systems. This alignment represents a powerful industrial ecosystem designed to revitalize U.S. shipbuilding.

The partnership is centered on a long-term strategic commitment to bolstering the U.S. maritime industrial base. As noted in the recently released U.S. Maritime Action Plan( MAP), “a self- sustaining domestic shipbuilding sector is critical for national and economic security.” By combining advanced technology with proven manufacturing at scale, Anduril and ECO say that they are answering the call for a more resilient and innovative American defense industry.

The primary drivers behind this partnership are design excellence, production scale, and speed of delivery. By joining forces, Anduril and ECO have created a partnership capable of delivering advanced, reliable platforms on accelerated timelines. By pairing Anduril’s expertise in fielding advanced autonomous systems with ECO’s established legacy of designing, building, owning, and operating hundreds of complex vessels worldwide, the partnership can utilize existing, operational infrastructure and decades of execution experience to meet urgent mission requirements.

A key advantage of this collaboration is the immediate availability of industrial capacity, with ECO’s Top Ship facility in Gulfport, Mississippi, set to serve as a primary site for initial production and integration efforts. ECO will leverage its multi-billion-dollar United States- based shipyard, port, and marine infrastructure network including the largest privately- owned shipbuilding network in the United States to begin production and testing without delay. Vessel testing will be conducted utilizing Chouest’s established port facilities, eliminating the need for new permitting, greenfield construction, or development timelines typically required to stand up to new shipbuilding capacity.

“This partnership brings together best in class technology, design, and manufacturing to deliver for the warfighter now, not years from now,” said ECO EVP Dino Chouest. “We are not starting from scratch. We are leveraging proven infrastructure, an experienced workforce, and a fully integrated industrial base that is ready to scale immediately.”

Chouest’s scale and readiness are impressive. The company employs more than 21,000 people globally, including approximately 15,000 in the United States, with over 6,000 personnel actively engaged in shipbuilding operations daily. In addition, ECO is investing over $150 million in automation, robotics, and advanced manufacturing to ensure the company can meet the needs of the nation at speed and scale.

“We are excited about what this partnership will deliver not only for this program, but for future defense initiatives,” added Dino Chouest. “This is a long-term commitment focused on bringing real capability to the field with speed, reliability, and proven performance.