Birdon buys Metal Shark Bayou La Batre shipyard

Birdon's newly acquired Bayou La Batre shipyard fronts a dredged deepwater inlet. [Photo: Birdon]

Australia’s Birdon Group reports that its Birdon America Inc. subsidiary has acquired Metal Shark Boats’ 32-acre Bayou La Batre shipyard in Alabama. It says that the acquisition brings a fully developed shipyard into Birdon’s growing portfolio of facilities throughout the U.S. and will allow it to provide a further range of shipbuilding and repair services.

Jeanerette, La., headquartered Metal Shark acquired the Bayou La Batre shipyard in 2018 when it acquired the assets of Horizon Shipbuilding.

Birdon says that the acquisition of the Alabama shipyard will ensure the successful delivery of the Waterways Commerce Cutter (WCC) program, a vital component of Birdon’s $1.187 billion contract to design and build 27 new vessels for the U.S. Coast Guard.

“The investment in this facility will not only ensure we deliver on our promise to the US Coast Guard, but it will also provide an opportunity for our subcontract partners in southern Alabama to build and install all components of these vessels in one location,” said Birdon Group CEO, Jamie Bruce. “I am extremely grateful to Metal Shark CEO Chris Allard and his team for collaborating diligently with us, in a short period, to complete this deal.”

As part of the acquisition, the Bayou La Batre shipyard’s existing workforce will transfer to Birdon and will continue to execute the current order book of repair work. In the near term, Birdon plans to make significant capital outlays in the shipyard’s infrastructure as a further investment in the future. It says that this will foster job creation, accelerate technological advancement, and provide positive growth to the region’s economy. A direct result, says Birdon, will be the creation of 300 new jobs in the area over the next two years.

The fully developed shipyard fronts a dredged deepwater inlet. It includes five steel buildings for fully self-contained fabrication and construction work, with over 1,700 feet of waterfront, a 660-ton Travelift, multiple cranes, and all required equipment for the construction of steel and aluminum vessels up to 300 feet in length and 1,500 tons launch weight. The shipyard is situated just minutes from the Intracoastal Waterway with direct access to the Gulf of Mexico.