UK-based Lone Star Funds has sold the US shipbuilder Vigor Marine to France’s Antin Infrastructure Partners, marking the third time the company has come under private equity ownership.
Headquartered in Oregon, Vigor Marine operates shipyards and steel fabrication facilities across locations including Seattle, Portland, Vancouver (Washington), San Diego, and Norfolk (Virginia). With a total of six dry docks and 29 berths, the company serves both commercial and defense shipbuilding sectors. It generates over $1 billion in annual revenue and employs approximately 2,700 people.
Prior to this acquisition, and while under the ownership of Lone Star Funds from 2023 to 2026, Vigor Marine expanded its business scope and continuously advanced capacity-building initiatives, including facility upgrades and technological enhancements.
Vigor Marine stated that over the past three years, it has consolidated five separate entities under a single brand while investing more than $170 million in facility modernization and technology upgrades. Recently, the company partnered with Samsung Heavy Industries to establish a training center for welding and coating personnel, incorporating virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) training technologies.
Vigor Marine serves the U.S. Navy, Military Sealift Command, U.S. Army, Coast Guard, cruise line operators, and interstate ferry systems.