The Triumph Gulf Coast Board approved $75 million to bring advanced maritime manufacturing to the Port of Pensacola. We now know the shipbuilder’s identity, Birdon America, Inc.
Birdon America, Inc. is the U.S. arm of Australian shipbuilder Birdon Group, focused on shipbuilding, repair, and marine propulsion for U.S. military and government customers, and its closest operation to Pensacola is its Gulf Coast shipyard in Bayou La Batre, Alabama.
What Birdon America does
Birdon America is a federal contractor primarily classified under shipbuilding and repairing (NAICS 336611), founded in 2010 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
- The company’s U.S. maritime work includes major programs like the U.S. Army Bridge Erection Boat program and refits of U.S. Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Lifeboats, along with NAMJet marine propulsion manufacturing.
Birdon positions itself as an experienced U.S. government defense prime contractor providing design, production, upgrades, and in?service support for marine vessels.
- According to the application, Birdon will create approximately 2,000 high-wage jobs over five years—with average annual salaries exceeding $80,000, roughly 140% of Escambia County’s current average wage. The total project investment is estimated at $275 million.
Triumph staff rated the proposal with an “A” score, projecting a return on investment of $33.6 of additional household income for every Triumph dollar expended—translating to $2.55 billion in additional household income over ten years.
The Maritime Industrial Base Office at the Department of the Navy has formally endorsed the project. In a letter of support, Matthew Evans, Deputy Program Director, praised the initiative’s potential contribution to expanding America’s maritime industrial capacity. See Triumph’s economic analysis .