Heartland Fabrication, LLC has announced a phased, multi-year capital investment of approximately $60 million to modernize and expand its shipyard on the Monongahela River in Brownsville, Pennsylvania.
According to an official statement, the program will add an estimated 150+ new skilled manufacturing positions in Fayette County, PA and increase the shipyard’s annual production capability from 180 inland hopper barges per year today to as many as 280 per year once the work is complete.
“This investment is about capability and about people — having a modern American shipyard ready to replace the barges this country is going to lose to age over the next decade, and having the skilled craftspeople here in Brownsville, PA to build them,” said Brian Mueller, Owner and Chief Executive Officer of Heartland Companies, Inc. “For over 20 years, we have built to the needs of our customers and the inland hopper barge market.”
Construction and equipment installation will proceed in phases through the end of 2027, with the full 280-barge annual capability available beginning in 2028.
Barges built in Brownsville are constructed from American-made steel. A single hopper barge contains roughly 340 tons of steel, and the shipyard processes over 60,000 tons of domestic steel annually today.