Offshore leader Edison Chouest agrees partnership to build naval vessels

Under the partnership, Anduril would act as prime contractor for projects with the US Navy, leading programme delivery, and ECO would act as shipbuilder and systems integrator, helping to provide the scale required for rapid construction and integration of onboard systems. The initiative is one of a number launched recently to revitalize US shipbuilding and build large numbers of small but advanced vessels for the US Navy.

The partners says they want to work together to bolster the US industrial base, citing the National Maritime Advisory Panel which states that “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 are answering the call for a more resilient and innovative American defence industry, the company say. “The primary drivers behind the partnership are design excellence, production scale, and speed of delivery,” they state. “By joining forces, Anduril and ECO create a partnership capable of delivering advanced, reliable platforms on accelerated timelines. 

“By pairing Anduril’s expertise in advanced autonomous systems with ECO’s ability to design, build and operate complex vessels the partnership can utilize existing, operational infrastructure and decades of execution experience to meet urgent mission requirements.”

The companies want to draw on the capacity available at ECO’s Top Ship facility in Gulfport, Mississippi, which would serve as a primary site for initial production and integration efforts. They say ECO can leverage its US-based shipyard, port and marine infrastructure network – including the largest privately-owned shipbuilding network in the US – to begin production and testing ‘without delay.’ 

Chouest Group executive vice president Dino Chouest said, “This partnership brings together best-in-class technology, design, and manufacturing to deliver now, not years from now.

“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.”

The Chouest group employs more than 21,000 people, including approximately 15,000 in the US, with more than 6,000 personnel actively engaged in shipbuilding operations daily. ECO is investing more than US$150M in automation, robotics, and advanced manufacturing to ensure the company can meet the needs of the nation at speed and scale.

Anduril has also announced plans to work with HD Hyundai in South Korea to design and produce a new class of autonomous surface vessels (ASVs). The first ship is in production. 

In a statement, Anduril said, “HD Hyundai in Korea and Edison Chouest Offshore in the US bring distinct industrial capabilities to a common production enterprise — one structured for the breadth, resilience, and tempo that fielding a distributed autonomous surface fleet demands.”