Saronic Selects Syncrolift to Design and Supply the World’s Largest Shiplift for Port Alpha
12.11.2026 08:00:00 CET | Nekkar ASA | Non-regulatory press releases
With reference to the stock exchange announcement published November 4th. See the joint press release below for further details surrounding the project award and the Syncrolift US-based customer Saronic.
Oslo — November 12, 2026 — Saronic today announced that it has contracted Syncrolift AS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Oslo-listed Nekkar ASA, to design and supply what will be the world’s largest shiplift for Port Alpha, the company’s next generation shipyard under construction in Brownsville, Texas. Under the contract, valued at more than USD 100 million, the system will feature a platform length of 300 meters and a lifting capacity of 67,000 tonnes, delivering more than two times the lifting capacity of the next-largest installation and serving as a central enabling system for the new shipyard.
A production system built to support a modern approach to shipbuilding
Port Alpha, which is expected to be the largest and most advanced shipyard in the world, is engineered around a software-defined, high-throughput production model in which final assembly is consolidated into a small number of large-block lifts with vessels moving between stations rather than being built in fixed docks. The tandem shiplift from Norway-based Syncrolift is designed to match that flow. The system pairs a rigid lifting platform with advanced condition-monitoring and digital-twin control technology that supports safe, closely monitored operation at every stage of a lift. Together with its transfer system, the shiplift will enable parallel vessel construction and outfitting on flat land, replacing the need for multiple graving docks while improving access for workers, materials, and equipment.
Saronic selected Syncrolift following an extensive evaluation of docking and transfer technologies, drawing on its team’s extensive shiplift and shipyard experience to assess both capability and safety.
“Syncrolift’s technology and track record made them the right supplier to deliver a system that is strategically important to how we’re approaching Port Alpha and the reindustrialization of U.S. shipbuilding,” said Doug Lambert, Co-Founder and COO at Saronic. “The scope and scale of this shiplift is foundational to how the yard will operate and reflects the ambition of not only what we’re building at Port Alpha, but how we’re rethinking shipbuilding from the ground up to deliver ships at a speed and scale not seen in generations.”
“Saronic’s team knows shiplifts and shipyards, and that came through in our discussions about how vessels will move through Port Alpha. We’re proud they chose Syncrolift to deliver the world’s largest shiplift and to work with them on a system that will allow several ships to be built and outfitted on land in parallel, then moved to the lift when they’re ready to launch,” said Rolf-Atle Tomassen, Managing Director of Syncrolift AS.
Syncrolift will manage the project out of the company’s headquarters at Vestby, near Oslo, Norway.
Bringing the best to bear across US, allied and partner suppliers
Port Alpha represents a planned investment of more than USD 3 billion and is expected to create up to 10,000 direct jobs. The yard will initially cover 835 acres, with room to expand to nearly 4,400 acres, and is designed to build autonomous and manned ships for commercial and defense customers. But given that scope and scale, Port Alpha is more than a single shipyard — it is a generational opportunity for the global supply base to take part in reinvigorating the maritime industrial base and the broader shipping industry.
The contract with Syncrolift was announced alongside the Atlantic Future Forum, an international summit for defense, security and technology leaders focused on strengthening the resilience and national security of democratic allies. Announcing the award in concurrence with the event illustrates exactly the opportunity Port Alpha represents: what Saronic builds in the United States creates economic prosperity for America’s allies and partners through their own industries. The Syncrolift award is a leading example of that model.
“Syncrolift is a key international supplier that Saronic is proud to support as it brings the best of the world’s maritime technology to bear while ushering in a modern era of global shipbuilding,” said Lambert.
Learn more about Saronic’s Port Alpha: https://www.saronic.com/portalpha
Contacts
- Per Christian Olsen, Investor Relations, Nekkar ASA, +47 90 02 90 77, investor.relations@nekkar.com
About Nekkar ASA
Nekkar (OSE: NKR) is an industrial long-term owner of ocean-based technology companies. The company invests in and develops technology businesses within sustainable oceans, robotics and intelligent logistics, and digital solutions. With a 50-year industrial heritage from Syncrolift, Nekkar applies an active buy-to-own strategy to build long-term value. The group supports empowered operating companies with a strong balance sheet and reinvests strategically to ensure profitability and sustainable growth. As a publicly listed company, Nekkar has a proven track record of shareholder value creation through disciplined M&A, financial management, and capital allocation.