Vigor Marine Group, one of the most critical names in US ship repair, has a new owner. French private equity firm Antin Infrastructure Partners has reached an agreement to buy the company from Lone Star Funds.
It’s a strategic play on American defense infrastructure. Vigor isn’t a typical shipyard it operates five yards across Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, San Diego, and Norfolk.
- These locations put Vigor within striking distance of key US Navy and Coast Guard concentrations, including the 3rd Fleet and the massive naval complex in Norfolk.
- From maintaining icebreakers and warships to building the Army’s new landing craft, Vigor is deeply embedded in the national industrial base.
The current management team, led by CEO Francesco Valente, stays in charge.
Lone Star is a private equity fund often associated with shorter-term turnarounds. Antin, by contrast, specializes in “infrastructure” meaning they tend to hold assets longer and invest in stability.
Ryan Shockley, a senior partner at Antin, explicitly called Vigor “essential US infrastructure” that requires sustained capital.
Antin has signaled a specific interest in the “growing importance of the US’s Pacific seaports.”
With Vigor already expanding into unmanned vessels (via a JV with Saronic) and securing repair agreements with giants like Samsung Heavy Industries, the new owners are likely looking to capitalize on increased naval activity in the Pacific theater.