Who’s building Saronic’s $3B+ Port Alpha shipyard? Saronic broke ground on Port Alpha in Brownsville. Meet JE Dunn, Alberici and a regional electrical prospect behind the Gulf Coast sales opportunity.
2026-10-05
Saronic broke ground on a shipyard representing more than $3 billion in planned private investment in Brownsville, Texas, on September 30.
Port Alpha groundbreaking, Brownsville, Texas, September 30, 2026. Photo: Saronic / Port of Brownsville. I followed the construction team and found a second Saronic shipyard expansion already underway in Louisiana.
JE Dunn and Alberici are building both.
If you sell into construction, those are the first two companies I’d put on my list.
Port Alpha: the new Brownsville shipyard
The Port of Brownsville’s groundbreaking announcement names the JE Dunn | Alberici joint venture as the builder for Port Alpha’s initial phase.
That phase includes 1.2 million square feet of enclosed production space across eight to ten production buildings, plus more than 2,500 feet of deepwater quay.
The site starts at 835 acres. Saronic targets initial operations in 2028 , with the yard designed to produce both manned and autonomous vessels.
Owner rendering, not a photograph. Image: Saronic. The investment figure describes the planned development. It is not the value of the joint venture’s construction contract or an amount currently open for bids.
The same builders are expanding Saronic’s Louisiana shipyard
JE Dunn and Alberici are also delivering Saronic’s $300 million expansion in Franklin, Louisiana .
Their August construction update reported completion of the structural frame. The expansion adds more than 300,000 square feet, including warehouse capacity, three slips and a production line for Saronic’s Marauder vessels. Completion is expected in early 2027.
Topping out at Saronic's Franklin, Louisiana expansion, August 2026. Photo: Alberici. The update also identifies Hillsdale Fabricators, an Alberici company, as the structural steel fabricator . That is a confirmed participant, useful for sellers of fabrication equipment and consumables.
For construction materials, rental and jobsite services, I’d start with the JE Dunn | Alberici team. It already has work underway for the same owner in two states.
A regional electrical account I found through ATI
To find nearby electrical companies, I used American Trades Index , the platform I built to help salespeople find their next customers.
I searched electrical contractor/business records in the Brownsville-Harlingen and McAllen metros. The McAllen results included Metro Electric, Inc.
ATI’s record lists Texas electrical contractor license 17140, a McAllen address and a published business phone number. Those details match Metro Electric’s own website .
Metro Electric's McAllen office. Photo: Metro Electric (company website). The company also has a Brownsville office. Its published services include new construction, generators, backup power systems and preventive maintenance. Its company background describes commercial and industrial electrical experience.
Metro goes on my regional prospect list for electrical supplies. Its role here is a relevant local account; the sources do not establish a Saronic project assignment.
Company contacts and trade-partner routes
Company Verified connection or fit Published route JE Dunn Joint-venture builder at Port Alpha and Franklin Trade-partner page , with TradeTapp prequalification and BuildingConnected opportunitiesAlberici Joint-venture builder at both shipyards Trade-partner page , with prequalification and bid listingsMetro Electric Regional electrical prospect with construction and maintenance services Company contact page , Brownsville: 956-831-7801 ; McAllen: 956-686-2323
The builders’ links are general qualification routes. They do not establish that a particular Saronic package is currently available. Metro’s phone numbers reach its offices, not a verified project buyer.
One groundbreaking led me to two shipyards, the team building both, and a regional electrical account.
One of those relationships could put me on the next job, too.
I’ll personally send you a list of sales opportunities matched to what you sell and your territory every week for four weeks, free. All I ask is feedback on which ones you’d pursue. Email me to get started.
Research checked October 5, 2026. Dates are project targets. ATI records identify licensed businesses, not available workers.
This county’s market page: projects and licensed trades
Related in the Index The American Trades Index
