FAQs

The Solano Shipyard

• Why does the US need a new shipyard?

  Bipartisan policymakers, defense experts, and maritime industry veterans agree that America’s shipbuilding capacity is a national security imperative. After decades of decline, our commercial and naval shipyards have been outpaced by our adversaries—most notably the Chinese Communist Party, whose industrial capacity now dwarfs our own.

  Shipyards in the United States built just five ships in 2024 compared to over 250 constructed in China. With aging fleets, outdated infrastructure, and shrinking industrial capacity, the time for incremental change has passed. We must reestablish domestic production at scale—now.

  To read more, you can review the reports linked in the National imperative section this website.

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• What is a Shipyard Complex, and what gets built there?

  A shipyard complex is a collection of many separate shipyards into a large, integrated facility designed for the construction, repair, maintenance, and modernization of ships. The shipyards could be involved in different activities, in both naval and commercial shipbuilding, and/or ship repair.

  These complexes are typically equipped with specialized infrastructure, equipment, and skilled labor to handle various vessels, including commercial ships, military ships, and other maritime assets. Key components of a shipyard complex include dry docks, wet berths/docks, and fabrication facilities.

  Shipyard complexes are essential for supporting maritime industries and national defense. These projects foster economic growth through job creation and technological innovation. Modern shipyard complexes often integrate advanced technologies like automation and AI to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact.

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• Why is Solano County considered a strategic location for a new shipbuilding complex?

  Solano County sits at the midpoint between major West Coast shipyards in Bremerton, WA, and San Diego, CA, filling a geographic and industrial gap. Its proximity to Travis Air Force Base, US Army Military Ocean Terminal Concord (MOTCO), and transcontinental rail lines makes it a critical logistics and sustainment hub for supporting U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific. From a local perspective, this site has been reserved for maritime industrial uses by Solano County’s elected officials and voters for almost half a century.  Learn more about why this site is ideal for the future of American shipbuilding here.

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• What is the footprint of the proposed Solano Shipyard?

  The proposed site for the Solano Shipyard Complex spans approximately 1,400 acres of contiguous, industrially-zoned land, making it one of the largest undeveloped, industrial-zoned waterfront properties on the West Coast. Designated for maritime industrial use since 1989, the site will accommodate a full-scale, next-generation shipyard and maritime logistics hub.

  While the final shipyard footprint will be refined through phased development, the available land area exceeds the total size of many of the nation’s most significant shipbuilding and maintenance facilities, including:

  + Newport News Shipbuilding (VA): ~550 acres (the largest shipyard in the U.S. by land area and workforce)

  + Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard (Honolulu, HI): ~450 acres total, including maintenance, dry docks, and support facilities

  The 1,400-acre Solano site provides exceptional flexibility—capable of supporting multiple dry docks, modular fabrication lines, laydown yards, logistics hubs, and clean propulsion infrastructure. Its scale allows for the co-location of defense and commercial operations, supply chain partners, and future expansion, offering a rare West Coast opportunity to establish a resilient, dual-use maritime complex.

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• What makes the proposed site suitable for maritime industrial development?

  In 1989, Solano County completed the “Collinsville Montezuma Hills Area Development Study,” identifying the southern Montezuma Hills as “the largest vacant site on the West Coast currently approved for heavy industry or marine terminal use, and the only one in California of more than a few hundred acres.” In response, the Board of Supervisors zoned over 1,400 acres for maritime industrial use—an action reaffirmed in the 2008 General Plan.

  Today, the site remains designated for the maritime industry. The proposed new city, seven miles north, further strengthens its viability, which could support supply chain operations and provide affordable, high-quality housing for shipyard workers.

  In sum, this site has been studied, entitled, and reserved for this exact purpose since 1989.

  
  
  

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• What does this mean for Mare Island and the other cities and communities in the county?

  Mare Island has a bright future, and this project complements its capabilities. Based on site attributes, such as scale, dredging environment, and greenfield vs. brownfield conditions, Mare Island and the Montezuma Hills are suited to host entirely different facilities. There is no competition—they are complementary assets within the same regional ecosystem.

  If major shipbuilding facilities come to southeastern Solano County, that would increase the chances that supply chain, training, and advanced manufacturing operations can be located on Mare Island.

  Mare island is well positioned to specialize in modular fabrication, component assembly, digital shipbuilding R&D, and workforce development—activities that align with its infrastructure, zoning, and historic preservation goals. Mare Island can become a critical support node for the broader maritime and defense industrial network by focusing on innovation, light industry, and technical talent pipelines.

  
  
  

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• What would the environmental impact be?

  The proposed site is industrial land, built up with decades of dredge spoils and already disturbed by hundreds of wind turbines, transmission lines, and gas infrastructure. It is located completely outside of the Suisun Marsh and Primary Legal Delta.

  The shipyard would be designed from the ground up for modern maritime manufacturing. All infrastructure would be built from scratch, enabling our Navy and shipbuilders to create the world’s most modern and cleanest shipbuilding complex. Cutting-edge infrastructure would be designed to support shipbuilding in Solano County for the next century, with minimal environmental impact.

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• How many jobs would this bring to Solano County? And what kind of jobs?

  At full build out, the Solano Shipyard Complex would likely create tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs spanning nearly every maritime and advanced manufacturing sector. In addition to skilled trades like welding, electrical, and pipefitting, the shipyard will require naval architects, marine engineers, and planners. 

  The model mirrors that of large Gulf Coast shipyards like Ingalls Shipbuilding and Austal USA, which employ tens of thousands across trade, technical, and white-collar roles, and offer career opportunities for everyone from entry-level apprentices to experienced engineers and executive leadership.

  With strong partnerships across community colleges, universities, and industry, the project will create a wide range of high-wage, upwardly mobile pathways for Solano County residents.

  
  
  

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• How will the shipyard be built?

  The Solano Shipyard Complex will be developed through a highly collaborative, multi-stakeholder process in three major phases.

  The initial phase will prioritize planning, stakeholder engagement, and environmental review, in coordination with local, state, and federal governments, the local community, maritime industrial base stakeholders and infrastructure providers—as well as input from military and commercial partners to shape site design and permitting.

  The second phase would focus on constructing the shipyard’s core infrastructure, including dry docks, modular fabrication facilities, and logistics staging areas, with coordination between defense agencies, maritime firms, and workforce development institutions.

  The final phase will transition the complex into full operations, as defense contractors, commercial shipbuilders, and logistics partners activate facilities and scale production.

  This will be supported by ongoing collaboration with local communities, public agencies, and national stakeholders.

  
  
  

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• What is the relationship between the shipyard and the new city?

  The proposed new city and the Solano Shipyard Complex are separate projects but they have a symbiotic relationship. The shipyard provides jobs for city residents nearby, and the city ensures shipyard workers have access to affordable, high-quality housing, addressing one of the biggest challenges in shipbuilding: workforce recruitment and retention.

  This coordinated approach supports economic development and the quality of life for shipyard workers and their families. It also ensures that building the Solano Shipyard doesn’t create a housing shortage in the region, by ensuring the new city provides housing for shipyard workers.

  
  
  

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