Advanced maritime technology company SubSea Craft plans to invest nearly $6.1 million in a Hancock County production center and create 56 jobs, adding a specialized autonomous-vessel manufacturer to Mississippi’s Gulf Coast industrial base.
The state announcement, issued Sept. 24, says the England-based company will occupy an existing facility at Port Bienville near Bay St. Louis. The site is scheduled to become SubSea Craft’s primary U.S. commercial production center, with operations expected to begin in the second quarter of 2027 and all 56 jobs planned by 2028.
Work at the Mississippi facility will include manufacturing advanced composite components for autonomous surface vessels, testing and software validation, maintenance and technical support. SubSea Craft’s own company release describes the United States as a key market and says the new location will support domestic and international customers. The project therefore combines production-floor jobs with engineering, software and customer-support work rather than functioning only as an assembly shop.
Local reporting supplies more detail than the state’s release about the expected positions. WLOX reports that port officials expect roughly 60% of the jobs to be production and electrical-assembly roles starting around $26 an hour. Other positions in information technology, engineering and quality control are expected to pay around $40 an hour. Those figures come from port officials and remain projections until hiring begins.
Port Bienville’s transportation network is central to the site choice. The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission’s site profile says the industrial park has a 17-mile short-line railroad connecting to CSX, a 12-foot industrial canal with access to the Pearl River and Intracoastal Waterway, and three public docks. SubSea Craft will lease a building that the port is rehabilitating for the company, according to WLOX.
Mississippi is supporting the project through the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, known as MFLEX. The state’s program guide describes MFLEX as a universal credit that eligible companies can use against state tax liabilities. Applicants generally must plan more than $2.5 million in capital investment and create more than 10 jobs. The announcement does not state the value of SubSea Craft’s approved credit, so the public cost cannot yet be compared with the projected jobs and investment.
Hancock County and the state workforce agency AccelerateMS are also assisting. Their practical task will be building a pipeline for composite manufacturing, electrical assembly, software validation and technical-support roles before production starts. Because the company’s hiring target extends into 2028, the economic effect will depend on whether the facility opens on schedule, positions are filled locally and the stated investment is completed.
The project is consequential for Mississippi because it places a new autonomous-maritime production capability in an existing Gulf Coast industrial park rather than announcing only a future site search. But the dates, wages and job count are still commitments. The next measurable milestones are rehabilitation of the leased building, equipment installation, initial hiring and the start of production by mid-2027.
