Australian Boatbuilder Opens Edenton Plant

EDENTON, N.C. — An Australian maker of military and commercial boats has opened its main North American factory on the Edenton waterfront, and Gov. Josh Stein marked the occasion Tuesday during a swing through northeastern North Carolina that also took him to a welding training program a county away.

The Whiskey Project Group builds and maintains watercraft for defense, government, commercial and recreational buyers. Its new Chowan County plant covers 60,000 square feet on a 50-acre site along the water and will produce vessels for customers in the Americas and Europe, according to the state Commerce Department.

The company expects to hire 30 people at first, with more positions planned in manufacturing, engineering, technical services and boat repair. The plant will turn out boats under the Whiskey, NAiAD and VYCOR brands, ranging from tactical patrol craft to rigid-hulled inflatable boats. The firm has already landed U.S. defense work, including a spot in a Navy program for composite inflatable boats.

Stein said in a release that the region offers the skilled workers and maritime history the company needs, and that the plant will bring well-paying work to Chowan and nearby counties. State officials said more than 30 Australian companies now operate in North Carolina, and eight of them have chosen the state for new or expanded sites since 2015, adding more than 600 jobs.

Earlier in the day, Stein stopped at Roanoke-Chowan Community College in Hertford County to spotlight its Weld to Work program. A $470,140 grant from the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, awarded in 2024, covers shop renovations, added equipment, tuition aid and the salary of a full-time instructor so the college can train up to 150 welding students each year.

Over two years the program aims to enroll 300 students and place 270 graduates in welding jobs, with training geared to area employers including Nucor Steel, Newport News Shipbuilding and US Forged Rings. It draws students from Hertford, Bertie and Northampton counties.

The state budget Stein signed in July set aside $57.7 million for Propel NC, the community college workforce effort, and a statewide council on apprenticeships has set a target of doubling apprenticeships across North Carolina.

Filed under: Asheville NC Business News