The grand opening of an Australian-based shipbuilding, design and maintenance company’s new manufacturing facility in Portland took place Friday morning.
Birdon Group USA, which contracts with the U.S. military and Coast Guard, recently paid $4.6 million for two marina properties, spanning 31 acres along the Connecticut River.
Birdon manufactures and refurbishes military vessels and vehicles. The Portland facility is its third location in the United States and its first on the East Coast.
The new location will be used to modernize the Coast Guard’s 47-foot motor lifeboat rescue vessels that operate along the eastern shoreline.
The company plans to hire new employees over the next year as it establishes and expands its presence in Connecticut, according to a news release from Gov. Ned Lamont’s office.
U.S Coast Guard Rear Admiral Chad Jacoby, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, along with Lamont, were expected to tour the facility Friday and view the first vessel the company is refurbishing.
