Fincantieri Marine Group is teaming up with two Great Lakes shipbuilders in a push to bring more shipbuilding work to the region. Fincantieri, along with Fraser Shipyards in Superior, Wisconsin, and Donjon Marine in Erie, Pennsylvania, has formed a new partnership aimed at competing for a U.S. Coast Guard contract. The group plans to bid on building a new class of Homeland Security Cutter—light icebreakers designed to operate in challenging conditions.

Fincantieri CEO George Moutafis says the goal is to deliver a ready-to-build solution for up to seven new Coast Guard icebreakers… while also opening the door for other Great Lakes companies to join the effort. The collaboration supports a broader push to expand domestic shipbuilding and strengthen supply chains across what’s being called the “Fourth Coast.” Fincantieri already operates three shipyards in Northeast Wisconsin and says its multi-yard system could serve as a model for scaling production and speeding up delivery of future vessels.

If successful, the partnership could bring significant new shipbuilding work—and jobs—to the Great Lakes region.