Louisiana Shipyard Welding Jobs: Pay, Employers, and How to Get Hired

Louisiana shipyard welding jobs put fabricators and repair welders to work building and maintaining vessels, offshore oil platforms, and dry-docked hulls along the Gulf Coast. Louisiana's median for welders sits near $62,250 a year, and yards cluster around New Orleans, Houma-Thibodaux, Lockport, Fourchon, and Lake Charles.

What a welder actually earns depends heavily on region and employer. Base hourly rates, overtime multipliers, and per diem for out-of-town work vary from one yard to the next, and moving 90 miles can change the entire job mix.

Most yards run a hands-on weld test before an offer, and nearly every maritime facility expects a TWIC card. Skill on the test tends to matter more than the certificate in your pocket.

Louisiana Shipyard Welding Jobs: Market Overview and Regional Hubs

For Louisiana Shipyard Welding Jobs, the first real decision is not which certification to chase through Louisiana Welding Schools but which stretch of coast to live near. A welder in Houma sees a different job mix than one in Lake Charles, and moving 90 minutes changes the kind of steel you burn on every day.

Where the work clusters

Shipbuilding and repair in Louisiana follow the Mississippi River and the Gulf Coast, concentrating in four areas: New Orleans, Houma, Morgan City, and Lake Charles. Each leans a different direction.

• New Orleans: Repair, conversion, and marine fabrication dominate. C&C Marine and Repair handles steel and aluminum marine fabrication, and Bollinger operates a New Orleans location on Powder Street. The metro's industrial fabrication base has also long supported offshore platform and module construction, though yard-by-yard project mixes shift with oil and gas cycles.
• Houma: One of the strongest concentrations of offshore-vessel construction, repair, and fabrication in the state. Bollinger Houma anchors it, with LEEVAC, Bordelon Marine Shipbuilders, and Main Iron Works (historically building vessels up to 250 feet) nearby.
• Morgan City: The broadest small-vessel mix, covering tugboats, ferries, liftboats, barges, and offshore supply vessels across Conrad Shipyard, Swiftships, Halimar, and Bollinger Morgan City.
• Lake Charles: Weighted toward dry docking and repair. Gulf Island Shipyards on Big Lake Road dry docks tugs, barges, and offshore support vessels.

How big is the pool

Federal wage data puts roughly 13,690 welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers working statewide, plus about 2,520 structural metal fabricators and fitters. Shipyards are only one slice of that, competing with refineries and industrial contractors for the same hands.

Public sources confirm which yards are active and what they build, but not current headcounts or 2026 contract backlogs. Treat regional job volume as a moving target and verify openings directly.

Louisiana Median Wage for Welders at a Glance

The statewide median annual wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers in Louisiana is $62,250.

Major Louisiana Shipyards, Ship Builders, and Dry Docks That Hire Welders

Shipyard welding hiring in Louisiana spans direct shipyard employment and staffing agency placements. The table below lists active marine employers and staffing channels that have recently posted welding or fitting roles. Locations range from Houma and Lockport to Fourchon and Broussard.

Common Shipyard Welding Roles: Ship Fitter, Structural Welder, and Pipe Welder

Louisiana shipyards typically post three welding-adjacent job titles on the same requisition: ship fitter, structural welder, and pipe welder. Each role has a distinct scope, a different Welder Certifications test, and a different pay band.

Ship Fitter

A ship fitter lays out, cuts, and aligns structural steel (bulkheads, frames, brackets, deck plates) before a welder burns it in. Fitters read blueprints, use torches and grinders, tack components in place, and check plumb and square with levels and templates. Strong fitters are prized because a bad fit guarantees a bad weld.

Structural Welder

Structural welders join the hull, decks, superstructure, and internal framing the fitter has tacked. In Louisiana yards this is usually flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) in the 3G (vertical) and 4G (overhead) positions on carbon steel plate. The work is production-paced and physical: long stringers, heavy leathers, and a lot of time in tight compartments.

Pipe Welder

Pipe welders handle shipboard piping systems: fuel, hydraulics, ballast, fire main, and process lines. The benchmark test is a 6G Pipe Welding coupon, often TIG root with stick or FCAW fill. Pipe welders generally sit at the top of the shipyard pay scale.

What Makes Shipyard Work Different

Shipyard welds must be watertight and are inspected under marine codes such as ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) or NAVSEA on Navy contracts, which is stricter than most land-based structural work. Most yards cross-train fitters and welders over time, and entry-level helpers, grinders, and fire watches feed directly into these Welding Jobs.

Certifications, Weld Tests, and Credentials for Louisiana Shipyard Jobs

Louisiana shipyards hire on demonstrated skill first and paperwork second: nearly every yard puts you through a hands-on weld test before an offer, and passing that test often matters more than any certificate you carry.

The Weld Tests You Will Face

Most structural jobs test plate positions. FCAW roles in Houma, for example, require at least six months of experience plus a hands-on test in 3G FCAW Certification (vertical, downhill progression) and 4G (overhead).¹ A New Orleans combination welder posting wants candidates who can pass 3G and 4G, with 6G pipe preferred, backed by three to seven years of experience. Some employers run military-spec assessments covering vertical 3G, horizontal 2G, and overhead 4G.

Boat builders working in aluminum test differently. Bollinger Lockport asks for at least three months of pulsed GMAW (GMAW-P) experience², while a New Orleans shipyard wants three years of aluminum MIG.³ Exact wire, alloy, and test position vary by employer, so confirm details before you show up.

FCAW vs. GMAW

Shipyards lean heavily on flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) for outdoor structural steel because the flux shields the weld pool against wind, which strips away the gas coverage that GMAW (solid-wire MIG) depends on. GMAW and pulsed variants still dominate aluminum and cleaner indoor fabrication, where wind is not a factor.

TWIC, Screening, and Physical Demands

A Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) is issued by the TSA. You apply online or at an enrollment center, pay the enrollment fee, and wait for background vetting before the card ships. Requirements vary: some Louisiana employers want the card in hand, while others accept eligibility to obtain one.

Expect a pre-employment drug screen and background check almost everywhere, plus a physical or fit test at yards like Southwest Shipyard.⁴ On the job you will read blueprints, handle fit-up and multi-pass work, and climb, lift, and weld in tight spaces.

Some employers accept AWS D1.1 credentials, but plan on passing an in-house test regardless.

Louisiana Shipyard Welder Pay: Base Wages, Overtime, and per Diem

Louisiana's statewide median wage for welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers works out to roughly $62,250 a year, or about $30 an hour, according to the latest state wage data. That figure blends every industry that hires welders, though, and shipyard welding pay can land above or below it depending on the yard, the joint, and whether the work is new construction or repair.

What Base Pay Actually Looks Like

Current postings paint a wide range. Entry-level structural welders running FCAW in Houma have been listed at $24 to $26 an hour, while 1st Class 6G TIG Welding and FCAW pipe welders in the same city run $26 to $28. A Jefferson shipyard listing put general welder pay at $22 to $27-plus depending on experience. On the higher end, combo pipe welders working a Braithwaite site have been offered $38 an hour plus per diem, and some New Orleans shipbuilding and marine-repair postings for journeyman welders climb to $25 to $34, with at least one listing for AWS Certified Welder structural crew work at $34.50. Generally, new-construction yards and specialty pipe or combo positions pay toward the top of these bands, while routine repair and maintenance work sits closer to the bottom.

Overtime, Per Diem, and Shift Pay

Most shipyard schedules run 40 hours or more; overtime kicks in after 40 hours at time and a half, and some yards pay double time on Sundays or holidays, but not every employer confirms this in writing, so verify it at the offer stage. Per diem is common for travel or offsite work: one New Orleans per-diem welder posting paired a $28.75 base wage with $110 a day, while the Braithwaite combo pipe role added $75 a day on top of its $38 hourly rate.¹ Other listings have included per diem as high as $150 a day plus a separate travel allowance. Night or evening differentials show up occasionally, often around $2 an hour, though Louisiana-specific postings rarely break this out separately. Between overtime and per diem, total weekly earnings can run 30 to 50 percent above the posted base rate.

Louisiana Welder Pay by Metro Area

Metropolitan-level wage estimates for welders in Louisiana are not published in the current federal occupational data, so the table below shows statewide figures for the main welding-related occupations. Louisiana shipbuilding work is concentrated around New Orleans-Metairie, Houma-Thibodaux, and Lake Charles, but those metro areas do not have separate welder median wage breakouts in this source. As a result, a metro-level pay ranking is not possible here.

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Overtime and per Diem Can Push Weekly Pay Above $1,500

How Hiring Works: Direct Applications, Staffing Agencies, and Maritime Recruiters

Louisiana shipyards fill welding positions through a mix of channels, and knowing which door to knock on saves weeks of waiting.

Direct Hire vs. Staffing Agencies

Larger builders and repair yards often hire directly for full-time roles with health insurance, retirement matching, and paid time off. Smaller yards, and even large ones during peak production or overhaul season, lean on staffing agencies to bring in contract or contract-to-hire welders quickly. These arrangements can convert to permanent positions once a yard confirms steady workload and the welder proves out on the job. Welder Staffing Companies active in Gulf Coast maritime work have included names like Gulf Marine Contractors, Trade Team, and Aerotek, though staffing rosters shift often, so verify current placements directly with each agency before applying.

The Typical Application Process

Most paths start with an online application through the shipyard's career page or a staffing agency's job board. Qualified candidates are usually invited to complete a hands-on weld test matching the process and position used at that yard (flux-core structural work, TIG Welding on pipe, or SMAW root and fill). Passing candidates then move into a background check, drug screen, and TWIC card verification before receiving a start date. Some yards run these steps in a single day; others stretch the process over one to two weeks depending on volume.

Where to Look, and the Union Route

Check individual shipyard career pages regularly, since postings often go up and fill fast. Indeed and LinkedIn aggregate many of these welding and fitting jobs and let you set alerts for new listings near specific parishes. Don't overlook union halls either. Local Boilermakers and Pipefitters locals along the Gulf Coast dispatch members to shipyard and marine fabrication jobs, and joining a hall can provide steadier work, training support, and pay scales that are set in advance rather than negotiated per job.

Getting Started: Training, Apprenticeships, and Career Progression

Most Louisiana shipyards ask new hires for a high school diploma or equivalent, a valid driver's license, and a TWIC card before they hand you a hood. From there, the path splits: some workers enter through formal training, others through direct-hire helper roles that build skill on the deck plates.

Formal Training Options

For structured classroom and booth time before you apply, see the Louisiana welding schools page at /welding-schools/louisiana/ for accredited programs across the state. Fletcher Technical Community College runs a Fast Forward Apprenticeship Welder Pathway that blends WELD coursework with pre-apprenticeship credit.¹ The ABC New Orleans/Bayou Chapter operates a Welder Registered Apprenticeship built around 2,000 on-the-job training hours per year², and its Bayou Craft Training arm is NCCER-accredited³, which matters because NCCER credentials port well between Gulf Coast employers. Registered apprentices in Louisiana also complete at least 144 hours of related classroom instruction per year⁴, and agreements must be filed within 45 days of the first day on the job.⁵

Entry-Level Roles

If you start on the yard rather than in school, expect to spend time in one of these positions:

• Helper: Rigging, staging, material handling for a lead welder or fitter.
• Grinder: Prepping joints, cleaning welds, backing gouges.
• Firewatch: Holding an extinguisher and monitoring hot work in confined spaces (an OSHA 10 card is commonly expected).
• Tack welder: Running short tacks to hold fit-up before the certified welder finishes the joint.
• Fitting or welding apprentice: Formal slot under a journeyman, often 2 to 4 years in length.

Entry wages vary. As one reference point outside the shipyards, Sabre Industries in Bossier City has posted welder-trainee roles around $19.50 per hour with on-the-job training; shipyard trainee pay ranges widely by employer and location.

Career Progression

A typical arc looks like this: helper or firewatch, then tack welder, then structural welder or ship fitter once you pass plate tests in Stick Welding. Pipe welding is the next rung, since certification tickets for the 6G pipe welding procedure command the highest hourly rates in the yard. From there, experienced welders move into weld inspection (pursuing a CWI credential through AWS), QA, or foreman and superintendent roles. Some cross over to AISC-affiliated structural shops or ABC member contractors for land-based work between shipyard contracts.