JE Dunn-Alberici Starts $3.2B Saronic Shipyard in Brownsville
Construction Dive reports that a JE Dunn and Alberici joint venture has begun building Saronic’s $3.2 billion-plus Port Alpha shipyard at the Port of Brownsville, Texas, using progressive design-build.
Market Impact
The project is billed as the first greenfield shipyard in the U.S. since World War II. Saronic will build manned, autonomy-capable and autonomous ships there. The site starts at 835 acres, and Saronic has the option to expand it to nearly 4,400 acres, according to a Sept. 30 company release cited by Construction Dive. A ceremonial groundbreaking took place Sept. 30 with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Vice President J.D. Vance. The JV announced the start of construction Oct. 6.
The contract has three overlapping phases. The site preparation and infrastructure phases cover grading, ground improvement, drainage, access roads and utilities. Phase 1 of shipyard development follows with initial assembly buildings, material-handling systems and supporting facilities. The finished site will include all manufacturing facilities, warehousing, permanent waterfront and vessel-launching infrastructure, and employee support facilities. Stantec and KPFF are the design partners.
Scott Shelby, JE Dunn vice president and JV program leader, told Construction Dive the delivery method lets the team develop and evaluate design, scope and cost before agreeing to a final construction price. “For example, we can plan early structural and waterfront packages while coordinating later equipment installation and supporting infrastructure,” he said. The JV also won a $300 million Saronic expansion in Franklin, Louisiana, which topped out in August.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Start with the JV, not an owner bid. Procurement runs through JE Dunn and Alberici, which are already selected. Unlike the Anduril Sparrows Point story, where we reported no bid stage exists, this project has a named GC. Trade pricing happens inside the JV’s progressive design-build process.
- Package award status is not public. The source does not say whether site work, piling, concrete or MEP packages are awarded, bid or self-performed. Anyone claiming a package is “open” or “closed” is going beyond what has been reported. Ask the JV’s Brownsville team directly.
- Early-phase trades are the nearest-term work. Grading, ground improvement, drainage, access roads and utility infrastructure are in the first phases. Earthwork, drainage, paving and underground utility contractors are the trades those scopes touch.
- Structural and waterfront packages come next. Shelby said early structural and waterfront packages can be planned while other requirements are resolved. Inference: those packages likely surface before equipment installation and supporting infrastructure, but the source gives no dates.
- Expect scope to be priced as design matures. Because design, procurement and construction overlap across all three stages, scopes may be released in pieces. Keep estimating capacity ready for incremental pricing rather than one full bid set.
- Use the Louisiana job as a reference. The same JV topped out Saronic’s Franklin, Louisiana facility in August. Subs who worked that $300 million expansion have a direct track record with this team.
