PORTLAND — An Australian company that has a 10-year, $190 million contract with the U.S. government to refurbish Coast Guard vessels showcased its newly acquired production facility on the banks of the Connecticut River at the end of the last week.
Birdon Group, with US headquarters in Denver, Colorado, bought a pair of marinas on Riverview Street for $4.6 million last spring. The Riverview Marina and Yankee Shipyard and Marina has 31 acres of frontage along the eastern banks of the Connecticut River.
Both marinas will continue to operate for boaters, but Birdon will primarily use the site as a production facility. The Portland site is the company’s first on the East Coast.
Birdon also has a similar production facility in Bellingham, Washington.
“A year ago, it was just an idea,” Gov. Ned Lamont said at a ceremony celebrating Birdon’s move to Connecticut on Friday. “But the state has been building boats for centuries.”
Sen. Norman Needleman, D-Essex, said ship refurbishment can be done for a third of what it would cost to buy new ones. The government contract provides for the overhaul of 107 aging motor lifeboats.
“Birdon’s coming here is nothing short of spectacular,” Needleman said.
Work on 65 of the vessels will be done in Connecticut, said Rob Scott, president of Birdon America.
The first of the ships to be refurbished arrived in Portland in July, according to company officials.
It will take about two years for the Birdon plant in Portland to reach full production. said Scott.
Currently, about two dozen people work in the production facility, but Scott said the workforce will grow to 75 within two years. At this point, he said the facility would produce a dozen refurbished boats a year.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal said Connecticut “has a special connection to the Coast Guard” since its service academy is located in New London.
“These boats are going to save lives,” Blumenthal said.
He echoed Needleman’s thoughts on the significance of Birdon coming to Portland.
“But at the same time we’re trying to save lives, this contract also saves us money,” Blumenthal said.
Ryan Curley, Portland’s first coach, said Birdon’s decision to come to Portland “is really something big for us.”
“They’re bringing high-skilled, high-paying jobs like welders and electrical engineers to town,” said Curley, who became the first coach after the November 2021 election.
But to meet the needs of businesses like Birdon for skilled workers, Needleman said the state needs a comprehensive approach.
“I think we’re all looking at a lot of work,” he said.
