Saronic Spends $100 Million on the World’s Largest Shiplift for its New Texas Shipyard

Saronic Technologies awarded a contract worth more than $100 million to Syncrolift AS, a subsidiary of Nekkar ASA, to design and supply what the company says would be the world’s largest shiplift at its planned Port Alpha shipyard in Brownsville, Texas.

The shiplift would serve as a central part of the facility’s shipbuilding operations, allowing vessels to be lifted and transferred between different stages of production, the company said in an announcement. The system would feature a 300-meter platform and a lifting capacity of 67,000 tonnes, more than double that of the next-largest installation.

Saronic envisioned Port Alpha as a modern shipyard where vessels move between production areas rather than rely on traditional fixed docks, the company stated. The shiplift and its accompanying transfer system would allow the company to assemble ships in large sections and work on multiple vessels simultaneously on land.

The system was also expected to incorporate condition-monitoring technology and digital-twin controls to track lifting operations and support safe operation. According to Saronic, the setup could reduce reliance on multiple graving docks while improving access for workers, equipment and materials.

Saronic said it evaluated several docking and transfer options before selecting Syncrolift, drawing on its internal engineering expertise to assess performance and safety.

"Syncrolift’s technology and track record made them the right supplier to deliver a system that is strategically important to how we’re approaching Port Alpha and the reindustrialization of U.S. shipbuilding," said Doug Lambert, Saronic’s co-founder and COO.

The contract was signed Nov. 11 in Oslo during the Atlantic Future Forum. Rolf-Atle Tomassen, managing director of Syncrolift AS, said the system would allow multiple ships to be built and outfitted on land in parallel before being moved to the lift for launching. Syncrolift would manage the project from its headquarters in Vestby, near Oslo.

Saronic estimated Port Alpha would require more than $3 billion in investment and could create up to 10,000 direct jobs. The initial development would cover 835 acres, with potential expansion to nearly 4,400 acres. The facility was designed to manufacture both autonomous and crewed vessels for commercial and defense customers.

Photo courtesy of Saronic’s Press Kit