Shipbuilding & Marine Manufacturing Companies in Kentucky

Kentucky has approximately 4,200 manufacturing establishments and 260,000 manufacturing employees. Kentucky is a major automotive manufacturing state with Toyota, Ford, and GM assembly plants, plus GE Appliances' headquarters and a growing aerospace sector.

Kentucky contributes to the national shipbuilding & marine manufacturing landscape. Shipbuilding and marine manufacturing includes naval and commercial shipyards, boat builders, and marine equipment producers. The US shipbuilding industry is anchored by the Jones Act, which requires vessels operating between US ports to be domestically built. Major shipyards like Huntington Ingalls and General Dynamics NASSCO build naval vessels and commercial ships, while hundreds of smaller yards produce workboats, tugs, barges, and recreational vessels.

Naval Shipyards: Major facilities like Huntington Ingalls and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works building aircraft carriers, submarines, and destroyers.

Commercial Shipbuilders: Shipyards producing container ships, tankers, offshore supply vessels, and ferries for domestic service.

Workboat & Barge Builders: Smaller shipyards constructing tugboats, towboats, barges, and inland waterway vessels.

Recreational Boat Builders: Companies like Brunswick and Malibu Boats producing powerboats, sailboats, and pontoons.

Marine Equipment Suppliers: Manufacturers of marine engines, propulsion systems, deck equipment, and navigation systems.

Major industrial centers in Kentucky include Louisville, Lexington, Bowling Green, Covington, and Georgetown. These cities have concentrations of manufacturers across sectors including automotive oem manufacturing, automotive tier 1 suppliers, and aerospace manufacturing.