Page 48: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (August 2025)

SHIPBUILDING | U.S. MID-SIZED YARDS

THOMA-SEA THOMA-SEA

BUILDING BIG, BUILDING BIG,

THINKING BIGGER THINKING BIGGER

All images courtesy Thoma-Sea or Walter Thomassie, Managing Director of Thoma- lessons that have proven invaluable,” Thomassie says. “Many

Sea Marine Constructors (TMC), shipbuilding isn’t of the projects we take on are complex and high value, and you just a profession, it’s a legacy. A second-generation can’t manage them effectively without understanding the work

F leader of the Houma, La.-based family business, at every level.”

Thomassie has spent his life immersed in the maritime indus- try. From pulling ? shing gear as a teenager to managing the PUNCHING ABOVE ITS WEIGHT CLASS construction of complex, high-value vessels, his journey mir- Today, Thoma-Sea operates as a small-to-medium-sized rors the evolution of Thoma-Sea itself: from a small, vertically shipbuilding and repair company with three facilities: two integrated seafood operation to one of the nation’s most re- new-construction yards and one dedicated to repair and con- spected mid-sized shipyards. version, covering more than 100 acres of waterfront property. “I came up as a teenager and young adult in a vertically inte- The company employs over 500 people and has the capacity to grated seafood business catching and processing shrimp, tuna, deliver 10–12,000 tons of steel production annually, managing and sword? sh,” Thomassie recalls. “My brothers and I grew as many as 10 vessel deliveries per year during peak produc- up doing everything—diesel mechanics, welding, refrigera- tion cycles. Its portfolio is impressively diverse: offshore sup- tion, digging ditches, shoveling shrimp. You name it, we did it ply vessels, well stimulation ships, hydrographic research ves- with our own hands.” sels, inland and offshore tugs, ferries, seismic research ships,

That hands-on experience shaped his approach to ship- specialty vessels, barges, and complex trawler-processors. building. That versatility has made Thoma-Sea a preferred builder for

When his father, Robert Thomassie, transitioned the family both commercial and government clients, including next-gen- business into shipyard operations in 1990, effectively reviving eration NOAA research vessels now under construction.

a defunct waterfront facility in Houma, Walter followed. By “Thoma-Sea has grown with a proven ability to design, 2002, he was working full time in the yard, and in 2010 he took manage, and execute complex marine construction projects the reins as Managing Director after his father’s retirement. from concept through delivery,” Thomassie explains. “We tru- “Being involved in a hands-on family business taught me ly have a team that punches above its weight class.” 48 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • August 2025

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