Louisiana is home to Huntington Ingalls Industries' Gulf Coast operations, the Port of New Orleans, and a maritime economy that spans naval vessel construction, commercial shipbuilding, and one of the nation's busiest inland waterway systems.
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Huntington Ingalls Industries, Bollinger Shipyards, and the Port of New Orleans anchor Louisiana's maritime workforce alongside a vast network of offshore energy vessel operators and inland waterway carriers.
HII's Ingalls Shipbuilding division builds U.S. Navy destroyers, amphibious assault ships, and Coast Guard cutters with major Louisiana supply chain ties. Its Gulf Coast operations are among the largest naval shipbuilding programs in the country.
🌐 ~11,000 MS/LA Gulf region employees
Bollinger Shipyards operates multiple facilities across south Louisiana, building fast response cutters for the U.S. Coast Guard, offshore supply vessels, and specialty marine craft. It is one of the largest privately held shipbuilders in the United States.
🌐 ~2,500 LA employees
The Port of New Orleans handles cruise ships, breakbulk cargo, containers, and bulk commodities at one of the most strategically positioned ports in the nation, at the mouth of the Mississippi River system serving the American interior.
🌐 ~15,000 direct port-related jobs
Louisiana's Gulf Coast is part of the most productive naval shipbuilding corridor in the country, producing destroyers, amphibious ships, and Coast Guard cutters that serve the entire U.S. fleet — and that pipeline of work is decades long.
Bollinger Shipyards is the primary builder of the U.S. Coast Guard's Fast Response Cutter fleet, a major federal contract that provides Louisiana shipbuilders with long-term stable employment well insulated from commercial market cycles.
Louisiana sits at the confluence of the nation's inland waterway system, generating sustained demand for towboat and barge maintenance technicians, marine engineers, and fleet support workers beyond the ocean-going shipyard base.
Louisiana's maritime trades offer nationally competitive wages in one of the most affordable coastal states in the country, giving workers exceptional real financial upside compared to peers in California, Washington, or the Northeast.
Lay out, align, and assemble structural steel components for Navy surface ships and commercial vessels at Gulf Coast yards. A foundational skilled trade with strong wages and direct advancement pathways into supervisory roles.
Fabricate and install piping systems for fuel, water, and hydraulics aboard naval vessels and offshore support craft. One of the highest-demand and best-compensated trades across Louisiana's Gulf Coast shipbuilding sector.
Maintain engines, mechanical systems, and deck equipment on towboats and barges operating on the Mississippi River and Gulf Intracoastal Waterway. A stable career tied to Louisiana's critical inland waterway freight network.
Whether you are building Navy destroyers along the Gulf Coast, fabricating Coast Guard cutters at Bollinger, maintaining towboats on the Mississippi River, or supporting cargo operations at the Port of New Orleans, Louisiana's maritime economy is one of the most active in the nation.
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