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New Shipbuilding Company Launches at the Former Kaiser Yard in Vancouver

The original Kaiser assembly sheds, upper right, are home to New Pacific's operations. The old yard's slipways, far left, can still be discerned (New Pacific)
The original Kaiser assembly sheds, upper right, are home to New Pacific's operations. The WWII-era slipways, lower left, can still be discerned along the riverbank (New Pacific)

Published Sep 8, 2026 5:04 AM by The Maritime Executive

It's not every day that the U.S. shipbuilding industry gains a new entrant, especially one that builds civilian hulls, so the launch of a new facility in Vancouver, Washington this month is catching attention. 

New Pacific Industrial (NP) is a new venture helmed by experienced shipyard executives, and it is making its formal debut with a two-vessel contract for American Marine Corporation - the first time in AMC's 50-year history that it has ordered a newbuild tug. 

NP leverages the WWII-era infrastructure of Kaiser Shipbuilding's Vancouver Shipyard, now known as the Columbia Business Center on Vancouver's Columbia Way. The historic Kaiser yard's 80-year-old assembly bays are leased out to a variety of steel fabricators and suppliers, and NP now occupies about 180,000 square feet at the site. In addition to the high-bay fab spaces, the site has laydown areas, heavy lift cranes, and barge and rail access; NP describes it as "scalable infrastructure."

Courtesy New Pacific

Glosten provided the design for the yard's first vessel, a 122-foot, 6,000-HP, 85-TBP line haul tugboat built for AMC's ocean towing business. "It had to be a true ocean roamer—a capable, practical tug that’s comfortable to live and work on, and built to tow hard for decades," said Glosten business development principal Peter Soles. 

“New Pacific was founded around a straightforward idea: complex projects need experienced people, capable infrastructure, and an operating model that works for the customer,” said Joe Corvelli, CEO of New Pacific and an alumnus of Gunderson, Vigor and Gibdock. “Starting with a newbuild program alongside American Marine and Glosten puts that model into practice from day one.”

Courtesy Glosten