Vigor grew out of Cascade General, a ship repair company at the Port of Portland's Swan Island shipyard. Cascade General purchased the shipyard from the Port of Portland in 2000 and established the name Vigor Industrial. Vigor operated mainly as a repair yard before establishing the barge-building company U.S. Barge in 2006 as a joint venture with Oregon Iron Works.[a]
Vigor Industrial expanded throughout the 2010s, acquiring companies such as Todd Pacific Shipyards, Alaska Ship and Drydock, Oregon Iron Works, and Kvichak Marine Industries. Vigor recapitalized in 2019 under a new parent company, Titan Acquisition Holdings. In 2025, Vigor Industrial consolidated with other companies under the ownership of Titan Acquisition Holdings to form the Vigor Marine Group.
History
Early history
In 1942, what is now Vigor's Swan Island facility in Portland began operations as the Kaiser Company's Swan Island Shipyard.[3] After the end of World War II, the Swan Island shipyard was purchased by the Port of Portland, which operated it as a repair yard.[2] In 1995, businessman Frank Foti bought the ship repair company Cascade General on the verge of bankruptcy from its previous owners, operating on leased space from the Port of Portland shipyard.[4] In 1998, Foti also purchased Washington Marine Repair in Port Angeles, Washington.[5]
With funding from the British shipbuilding company Cammell Laird, Cascade General purchased the Swan Island facility from the Port of Portland in 2000, and established the name Vigor Industrial.[2]
In 2006, Vigor established the barge-building company U.S. Barge as a joint venture with Oregon Iron Works, another manufacturer based in the Portland area.[6] The partnership was eventually renamed US Fab[7] before becoming Vigor Fab in 2013.[8]
Expansion and acquisitions
The MVChimacum under construction at Vigor's Seattle shipyard in 2016Vigor purchased Kvichak Marine Industries in 2015.
In 2011, Vigor purchased Todd Pacific Shipyards for $130 million, acquiring its shipyards in Seattle, Bremerton, and Everett.[11] Todd Pacific became a wholly owned subsidiary of Vigor and began operating as Vigor Shipyards after the acquisition.[12]
In 2012, Vigor acquired Alaska Ship & Drydock in Ketchikan, Alaska.[2] Vigor renamed the subsidiary Vigor Alaska in 2013.[8]
In May 2014, the company announced that it was merging with Oregon Iron Works.[1][13] Although both companies referred to it as a merger, the deal made Oregon Iron Works a wholly owned subsidiary of Vigor.[14]
In March 2015, Vigor Industrial acquired Seattle-based aluminum workboat manufacturer Kvichak Marine Industries.[15] Vigor designated the new subsidiary as Vigor Ballard.[16]
Vigor announced it would be ending operations at its Everett shipyard in 2017.[17]
Vigor announced in late 2017 that it had won a $1 billion contract to produce U.S. Army landing craft, designated the Maneuver Support Vessel (Light). The contract was the largest in the company's history.[18]
In early 2019, Vigor purchased the facilities of Christensen Yachts in Vancouver, Washington, and concurrently announced that it would be closing its facility in Ballard (at the site of the former Kvichak Marine Industries). Employees at the Ballard facility were offered to transfer to Vancouver, where Vigor was preparing to begin production of landing craft for the U.S. Army.[22][23]
Recapitalization and mergers
In July 2019, The Carlyle Group and Stellex Capital Management agreed to acquire and merge Vigor Industrial with MHI Holdings LLC,[24][25] forming a parent company Titan Acquisition Holdings.[26]
Vigor announced in 2021 that it would be shutting down its operations in Port Angeles.[27]
Titan Acquisition Holdings was purchased by private equity firm Lone Star Funds in 2023.[28]
In March 2025, the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority announced that it would not be extending its agreement with Vigor to operate the Ketchikan Shipyard after the agreement expires in November 2025. The state-owned shipyard was formerly operated by the Alaska Ship & Drydock company, which Vigor purchased in 2012.[29][30][31]
In June 2025, Vigor Industrial consolidated with four other companies under the ownership of Titan Acquisition Holdings—Continental Maritime of San Diego, MHI Ship Repair and Services, Seaward Marine Services, and Accurate Marine Environmental—to form the Vigor Marine Group.[32][33][34]
Facilities and corporate structure
As of 2025[update], Vigor Marine Group is structured into three main divisions: Maintenance & Modernization, which handles ship repairs and maintenance; Marine Services, which provides services such as cleaning and waste water treatment; and Marine Fabrication, which handles production of new vessels.[35]
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