Thomassie family sees continued growth in 20-plus years of service

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With the Gulf of Mexico to the south and a slew of bayous, lakes, waterways and canals surrounding our area, it’s only natural that Louisiana’s economy be heavily predicated on the water.

That, of course, means that boats and ships are in high demand to keep our business climate stable. 

That’s where Thoma-Sea comes into the fold – a second-generation ship building company that has more than 20 years of experience, dating back to March 1990. 


From the company’s early days as a small operation, Thoma-Sea has expanded and now has a shipyard in both Lockport and Houma. 

It’s recipe for success? Following the lessons of company founder Robert Thomassie, who taught his children how to manage both a business and the people within it.

“My father set a good example for us, as owners of the company,” said Walter Thomassie, Thoma-Sea’s managing director. “We live comfortably, but not lavishly. We re-invest heavily into the company as it is the mechanism that feeds us and it is our job to do all within our power to maintain its stability. … My father was a consummate problem solver, and taught us to be so as well.” 


As one can probably guess by now, the name Thoma-Sea is a play on words – a literal pronunciation of the last name of the family, which owns and operates the business.

The company’s founder is Robert Thomassie, a native of Lafourche Parish who was raised in the Delta Farms community.

He started the company Thoma-Sea Boat Builders in March 1990 when he purchased a small, defunct fabrication yard off the Intracoastal Canal.


“Robert always had a passion for boats, and it was then that he turned his passion into a business and began constructing vessels as his full-time profession,” Walter Thomassie remembers. 

Thoma-Sea started with modest beginnings, employing just a handful of workers at its original yard. But the company quickly found success and expanded to become a multiparish business. In 2003, the company purchased its Lockport shipyard from VT Halter.

“With this, Thoma-Sea Ship Builders was established, which expanded the capabilities of the company into later, more complex vessels,” Thomassie said.


Two years later, the company grew even further, opening its construction facility in the Port of Houma in 2005. Since that time, Thoma-Sea has expanded its Houma facility even further to include a repair division with four floating dry-docks – the largest having a lifting capacity of 8,500 tons. 

Robert Thomassie has since retired from the company and has handed control to his children, who are building on the foundation that their father laid in place.

“We still draw from his experience and savvy,” Walter Thomassie said. “And we’re grateful for what he has created. We certainly would not have gotten where we are today without him.”


So what exactly does Thoma-Sea do? Walter Thomassie answered this question in simple terms, touting that the business specializes in both ship construction and repair.

“Thoma-Sea Marine builds and repairs various types of vessels for the commercial marine market,” he said. “We have built inland tugs, fishing vessels, research vessels, ATB Tugs, offshore towing vessels, anchor handling tugs, utility vessels, minisupply vessels and large OSV’s. 

“Currently, we are constructing our largest to date – a pair of state-of-the-art 310-foot diesel electric OSV’s at our Lockport facility.” 


But while all of the growth is a blessing to the local company, Thomassie said it stays humble because of both his father’s teachings and the business’s modest early days. 

The managing director said Thoma-Sea has close to 500 direct employees – a huge leap from the early days. He said that jump from a small mom-and-pop operation to a larger company has been the biggest challenge the business has faced.

“If I had to pick the single greatest hurdle, it would be the operational and relational change from a very small company to a medium-sized company with several hundred employees,” Thomassie said. “(It’s a challenge) building the management infrastructure and operational team to support and sustain the growth, both by bringing up people within the company and hiring talent from outside the organization. While it is necessary, it can be a difficult transition to add these layers of management, particularly when you are used to dealing directly with all within the company and you enjoy the personal contact with the people who work with you.”


But while the challenges remain present, Thoma-Sea has a clear plan for the future. Thomassie said he and his co-workers will be aggressive in keeping up with trends and changes in the industry – a must for success in the shipbuilding world.

From there, they plan to keep pushing forward to promote long-term success, making sound decisions and handling people’s needs, just like their father would have.

“Our plans are straight-forward,” Thomassie said. “We plan to continue to improve our facilities, processes and efficiencies so we may continue to progress in what is a very competitive industry. As well as that, we plan to continue to diversify our client base and product line for continued long-term stability.”


Pictured is the Taylor James, one of the fleets constructed at Thoma-Sea’s yards. Now in service for more than two decades, the locally owned business is growing, having expanded throughout Lafourche and Terrebonne.

COURTESY | THOMA-SEA