Canadian EV shipbuilder Voltari Marine Electric is expanding its North American manufacturing footprint and establishing a new US facility in Bay County, Florida.
As part of a the growth initiative formerly known as Project Kilowatt, Voltari will acquire and transform the 11.55-acre Queen Craft Shipyard site which has operated since 1974.
Voltari is investing $37,575,000 into the project which will create 285 new jobs.
The expansion will support Voltari’s increased production capacity for US-based customers. Voltari will continue to maintain its Canadian headquarters and core operations.
Voltari designs, develops and manufactures advanced electric propulsion systems with marine-grade high-kW battery manufacturing, carbon fibre hulls, software and autonomous/unmanned technologies (USV) for the defense, government fleet, commercial, and leisure industries.
The launch of Voltari’s US shipyard represents a major milestone in our company’s goal to be the global leader in marine EV.
Cam Heaps
“The launch of Voltari’s US shipyard represents a major milestone in our company’s goal to be the global leader in marine EV,” said Cam Heaps, chief executive officer of Voltari.
“Bay County and Northwest Florida offer the ideal combination of deepwater marine access, workforce talent, and community partnership for our US operations.”
Tim Markou, president of Voltari, added: “We are excited to have a surge in US customer demand.
“This is yet another confirmation that Canadian innovation is leading the way toward global transformation of marine electrification in defense and government fleets.”
Expansion project to include AI lab
The shipyard will be used for Voltari’s US-based customers enabling compliance with regulatory requirements such as the Jones Act.
The expansion project will include building upgrades, new construction, manufacturing equipment, research and development equipment, and other specialised assets.
A machine-learning AI lab will also be constructed to advance Voltari’s USV product development to meet demand in defense, USV and commercial marine markets in the United States.
Further details regarding construction timelines, hiring schedules, and operational milestones are set to be released as the project progresses.
