Largest military shipbuilder in U.S. leases space in Portland

Courtesy / Colliers Virginia ship builder Huntington Ingalls leased the remaining 33,245 square feet of space at 54 Milliken St. in Portland.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE: HII), a military shipbuilder headquartered in Newport News, Va., has leased the remaining 33,245 square feet of space at 54 Milliken St. in Portland.

Mike Cobb of Colliers in Maine and Ben Anderson of Colliers in Virginia represented the tenant and Jon Rizzo of the Boulos Co. represented the landlord in the deal.

The location will be the Huntington Ingalls' first New England location. The site was chosen based on a new project the shipbuilder is doing for the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, according to a news release. The building's interior provides the high, clear height needed for big projects.

Huntington Ingalls is a global defense contractor and is the nation’s largest military shipbuilder. It was formed in 2011 as an independent, publicly traded company when two legacy shipyards joined forces. Since then, its portfolio expanded to deliver all-domain technology solutions to civil, commercial and defense customers both domestically and internationally, according to the company’s website.

Today Huntington Ingalls Industries has a shipbuilding backlog of over $45 billion and more than 43,000 employees. It is the largest industrial employer in both Virginia, where the company is headquartered, and in Mississippi.

The company’s name derives from the founders of its shipbuilding divisions: Collis Potter Huntington, who founded Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., and Robert Ingersoll Ingalls Sr., who established Ingalls Shipbuilding.

This was the second tenant Colliers brought to the 54 Milliken St. building. In February 2022, Atlantic Plywood signed a lease for 34,843 square feet.

Construction of the 68,088-square-foot building was completed in 2022, according to listing information.

Located off of Riverside Industrial Parkway, the location provides immediate access to I-95 and is 5 miles from downtown Portland.